God save the Queen
by Day of the Wolf
Summary: A private vessel of social outcasts is commissioned to explore a seemingly dead planet. Rated M for language, violence, and eventual xeno/female action.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own the human characters here, but **not** the alien creatures or the concept. Aliens are the property of their creaters. I make no money from this.

* * *

Destination within 5 parsecs…

Initializing resuscitation process…

Working…

Working…

Beginning full resuscitation in tubes 1-3…

Beginning full resuscitation in tubes 5-7…

Warning…

Malfunction detected in stasis tube 4…

Repeat…

Malfunction detected in stasis tube 4…

Commencing emergency procedures…

Power transfer from engineering to compensate loss of power in stasis tube 4…

Emergency all-stop…

Repeat…

Emergency all-stop…

The gleaming steel hull of the ship became dark for a moment before emergency lighting activated itself. The medium-sized cargo ship, _Tseen Kee_, halted slowly; now adrift in empty space. A craggy planet hung in the distance, as dark as a murderous soul, waiting to swallow any innocent naïve enough to trespass.

Inside the spacecraft, computers made adjustments, trying frantically to save the humanoid life-form in stasis tube number 4. Not because of love or duty. It was irrelevant to the machines whether these people lived or died. The machines responded in uniform motion, calculating and executing commands by the book, simply because that is what they were created to do without question or 

concern. It took a fraction of a second to consider slowing or speeding the resuscitation process, weighing the possibilities of every outcome. How much power should be siphoned to save this human? Should the other tubes be dangerously halted in mid-restoration in order to stabilize one person? Should an equally dangerous fast defrost be initiated to save the six with a chance of losing the seventh? Would the power transfer be enough, and if so, would there be enough power in the generator to return home?

As the life support system automatically came online for those who were awakening, stasis support power transferred fully to the malfunctioning tube in a last-ditch effort to not only stabilize, but reinstate the person inside. Instead of the typical slow reveal of the people in cryo-sleep, the six functioning tubes opened their hatches with surprising haste so as to not waste any more power than necessary.

A slender but fit man in his mid-twenties was the first to regain consciousness and slink out of his tube. He pulled off the electrodes designed to monitor his vitals and stretched, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked at the other tubes to his left; his crewmates stirring and groaning groggily as was to be expected. As he surveyed his right, he noticed one stasis tube was still closed, a red rectangle of light playing across it.

A red emergency light.

The man ran to the tube in a panic, punching in a code sequence on the panel at the side of the malfunctioning machine. After scanning the readout and unsuccessfully initiating a manual override, he called out for help.

"Captain! We've got a serious problem here," he cried out, not taking his eyes away from the screen for a second. The captain, a bulky blond of 6 and-a-half feet strode over nonchalantly, his eyes still closed.

"What's the problem, Adam?"

"This stasis chamber is malfunctioning. The computer is having trouble with resuscitation."

"Well, get the machine specialist over here for a manual override," the captain grunted. Adam turned and glared at the man.

"This _is_ the machine specialist!" Adam flared, his long black bangs spilling into his face. The captain alerted at this and moved passed Adam and began punching in his own codes.

"Don't worry, Medic. This computer is instigating emergency protocol. Everything's going to be alright," the captain smiled and left to speak with his other subordinates. Adam was steaming. This new captain, Gerald Hardegan, had such little regard for his crew. Adam desperately missed Captain Bane; she was the perfect combination of strength and compassion that any ship's captain needed to be. Even if you were only commanding a private space freighter.

Three of the other crewmembers gathered beside Adam to investigate. A short skinny man with dark skin approached the control panel.

"Where's the captain?" he asked angrily. A tall bronzed woman turned her head.

"He's talking to Blane," she responded. A short curvy dark skinned woman leaned over the tube.

"Wil's moving…twitching," the woman said with restrained alarm. Adam ran off to get a medi-kit and stretcher as the short man continued typing on the panel with growing frustration. Suddenly steam hissed out of the tube and the hatch slowly opened; the body lying motionless. The taller woman stepped forward.

"Wil? Can you hear me? It's Hara. If you understand me, make some kind of movement." The head jerked upward minutely. Everyone sighed relief. Adam hastily came up beside the body, running an xray-scanner over it.

"Wil! She'll be alright, help me get her into the lab. Hurry!" Adam and Hara lifted the pale woman onto the stretcher, sweat and frost had made a sheen on her skin.

* * *

Swirls of black smoke hung, clinging to the sky. The smell of burnt flesh pierced her nostrils. A sorrowful rage pulsed from her stomach to her throat as she roared to the heavens. Hot vomit spilled from her lips, but she couldn't stop screaming. Fury and mourning and vengeance were all she knew now as shapes came forth from the smoke and swallowed her.

A shudder, convulsions, and the woman, Wilona Arlette, turned onto her side and coughed. Spittle dripped into a basin that had been strategically placed on the right side of her bed. A breathing tube was tapped to her nose. She reached for it, wanting to pull it away, but a soft cool hand gently took her wrist.

"Wil, I'm glad you're awake. How are you feeling?" Adam asked quietly. Wil opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, but she noticed the room was dim; the emergency power had been activated.

"Why…" Wil gestured with her other hand toward the lights.

"Yeah, there was a slight problem and the others need you out there but…"

"What happened?" Wil was becoming more coherent.

"Your stasis pod malfunctioned but you're going to be fine, I promise," Adam lightly placed Wil's hand to her side, she sighed deeply.

"I told Hardegan this ship needed a major over-haul after our…last encounter." Silence fell between Adam and Wil as they both recalled the last battle with Raiders, basically, pirates in space. Captain Bane 

had sacrificed herself to save the ship, and Hardegan did not seem a fit replacement. " Are we even near the planet?"

"Yes," said Adam, readying a saline I-V. "But Lydekker and Moondove are having trouble getting the engines back online." Wil sat up shakily.

"When can I leave?" Adam was by her side in an instant, tenderly gripping her shoulders and guiding her back down.

"Not for a couple of hours at least. You need to rehydrate." Wil's skin was hot against his palms. He checked her vitals: blood-pressure was higher than normal, but that would pass. He moved back to the prep table, glancing over his shoulder at her silhouette, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath. If Adam was capable of blushing, his face would be as blazing as a Red Giant.

When he had first joined this crew, Wil was the only one who'd spoken to him cordially, the same way she'd speak with a human. So many things he thought he was incapable of, Wil had taught him how to do or feel. He easily pricked her with the I-V.

"The liquid may feel cool going into your veins," Adam said to Wil; eyes closed and a perpetual smile on her face.

"I don't know, it feels pretty warm to me."

* * *

"Where the hell is Arlette?! It's like this damned computer only responds to her touch," growled Hardegan as Adam entered the cluttered and outdated engine room. Adam remained composed.

"She's recovering from shock, sir. I will wake her in two hours at which time she will be more than ready to serve." Hardegan narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything else, the short dark man entered the room.

"Captain?"

"What is it, Cole?" Hardegan sighed.

"I've been checking the comp logs, it looks like you've got some messages , sir. Priority one." Hardegan straightened up and turned his back to Adam.

"Two hours, not a second more." Hardegan left to his private quarters.

"Priority one?" repeated Hara, a box of slightly used transistors in her arms. "Do you think it was the Supplier?" she asked, looking to Cole. He shrugged.

"They were encrypted. Not standard for Privateers but, the captain said these clients were _very_ exclusive." Hara set down the box beside Lydekker, who was busy studying the readouts for the ship's core.

"But Hardegan told me this was a science facility that requested us. In my experience they usually don't have money to burn." The curvy woman's head popped out of a floor-level conduit.

"Maybe it's military. They don't want the Company's entanglements for material so they call us. Priority one for ID security.

"I think it's a research corporation that needs raw materials for fuels, I mean, have you seen the layout to this planet?" Cole said as he scrunched up his nose. He picked up a data pad. "LV 629. A habitable rock known for sandstorms." He set the pad back down. "That's it. That's all the original surveillance team reported and there hasn't been another team here in over eleven years! What could possibly be of value here now?" Hara was deep in thought.

"Maybe they missed somethin'," said Lydekker with a shrug. "Or they just weren't lookin' hard enough. Y'know them survey teams only take a few scans, they don't even land sometimes! Plus, value is subjective. Maybe the Supplier and the surveillance team were lookin' for different things." Everyone stared at Lydekker as if he had grown feathers.

"Wow, Lydekker, you never talk this much. Did Hardegan give you some 'insider information' during Wil's little mishap?" asked the woman in the floor. Lydekker sneered.

"Piss off, Leilani! I was just talkin'. No reason to get into me business. Get back to work!" Leilani shrugged, unfazed, and ducked back into the conduit.

"I hope," Hara said pensively "that this isn't some type of trap. We all know how the Company has been cracking down on Privateers. Even though Raiders are the _real_ problem."

"Not to them," said Cole. "Privateers take business away from the Company, whereas Raiders attack Privateers knowing full well that they can't report it, lest they face criminal smuggling charges via the Company."

"The only reason Privateers exist is because of the Company's strangle-hold over vehicle and business registration. They hate us, yet they created us. Ironic," said Adam, mostly to himself, the others heard him, but made no comment.

* * *

Captain Hardegan entered his sparsely decorated sleeping quarters and sat down at his desk. He turned on his computer and watched it slowly flicker to life. The oldest message was one sent by Captain Bane's previous Second Officer, Mirasaki Oneda, who had to leave the ship after a good portion of her right arm and leg had been blown off by the attacking Raiders. They were the crews Personnel files. As Hardegan hadn't bother to read them before hyper-sleep because of time constraints, he decided to burn the two hours before Wil could repair the ship by giving them a once-over. He punched the keypad a few times and arranged the crew by rank, based on seniority.

Ynes, Hara: Terrain Expert. Second Officer by rank unless specified by the Captain. Master driller and trader. Criminal charges for smuggling dropped for lack of evidence.

Lydekker, Blane: Pilot First Class. Entered Spacefleet during Fourth War, but was dishonorably discharged after accounts of battery surfaced from fellow officers.

Cole, Jaeden: Communications Officer. Abuse of mother's diplomatic status was speculated but never proven.

Moondove, Leilani: Navigator. Involvement in politically-motivated assassination attempted of Martian Prime Minister led to arrest and jail time. Was released when the Warden admitted to neglect and inhumane care of prisoners.

Arlette, Wilona: Machine Specialist and Technician. Held as a P.O.W during Fourth War by the NeoAxis in hopes of securing military secrets. Father was renowned weapons developer Claudius Winston.

Adam: Medical Droid. Salvaged by Raiders and later abandoned. Joined the crew of _Tseen_ _Kee_ in order to avoid termination by the Company.

Hardegan sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"_This crew of mine are a bunch of lawbreaking scumbags!" _he thought to himself. Hardegan smirked. "Well, it's not as if my record is spotless." Hardegan scrolled through the rest of the messages, most of which he considered meaningless but stopped at the latest message, the one Cole had referred to.

It was from the Supplier.

Hardegan tensed up, feeling as nervous as a virgin on her honeymoon. He did not want to get on the bad side of any Supplier. They often had ties to the Galactic Patrol as well as hard-up Raiders. The more money a Supplier offered, the more likely it was you were walking on paper-thin ice.

Hardegan pressed the 'Play' button and waited in anxious silence. A shadowy face appeared on the screen.

"Gerald Hardegan, by the time you receive this message, you will be out of hyper-sleep and preparing the drop ship for landing. I have sent the coordinates and instructions in the encrypted file codenamed; 'Futura.' Contact me AS SOON as you have begun inspection on LV 629."

Hardegan switched off the monitor and sat in the dimly lit and windowless "Captain's Suite." A grin splayed across his face like an incision and a most inhuman greed flashed in his eyes. Soon Gerald Hardegan would be one of the richest men in the known universe.

* * *

"Wil, how are you feeling?"

"Just a bit hazy, Jaeden, but I'll live. Thanks for asking." Adam escorted Wil to the engine room with a hand under his arm to steady her. A frazzled Hara and greasy Leilani looked at Wil and an aura of happiness exploded from their faces.

"Thank goodness! I can't make heads or tails of this shit!" Leilani breathed. Wil helped her out of the conduit.

"What happened?" Wil asked picking up a data pad.

"The computer transferred power from the core to help stabilize your stasis chamber and the engines shut down," Hara said wearily. "We're living on borrowed time with these emergency generators and we're falling behind with prep work for the job." Wil walked over to the main terminal that operated the ship's core. After glancing at the readouts, Wil turned and faced the room with a smile.

"You guys take care of the mission preparations. I'll have power back online in less than an hour."

Well, that's chapter one. The story does start off slowly but...it will become more exciting in the next chapter. Thank-you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

God save the Queen Chapter two

Author's note: Thanks to ProjectGun and LiasonFan2 for the reviews! And I do not own the Aliens.( _Also rated __**M**__ for violence, language and sexual content.)_

* * *

The crew sans Wil and Hardegan were running on empty as they prepped the small drop ship for landing. Leilani did her best to plot out a course via low-grade scans of the terrain on LV 629, but she was the only one who had the chance to sit to complete her job. Hara was giving out orders for how to stock the ship while she did minor repairs on the drilling gear. Orders were not really necessary as this team had done several similar missions, but as the captain had taken to his room, Hara had to attempt at guiding the team; if only to keep them, especially Lydekker, from having a snooze in the cargo hold.

Within half an hour, emergency power died away. Jaeden dropped his case of Loader fuel and Lydekker cursed loudly. Hara held her breath expecting life-support to be next, but within seconds, full power had been restored. The ship lurched forward a few paces causing everyone but Adam to stumble.

"Wil certainly knows this vessel well," said Adam in his best android voice. Aside from the incident with Wil's stasis pod, Adam rarely expressed human emotions around anyone but Wil. He deduced that most people would be suspicious of a Synthetic trying to behave like a Human.

Only Wil had really seen him as a person, not a thing or a tool. When he thought of this, strange sensations played about inside his body. A type of buzzing came over his mind when he remembered her, which spread out to his limbs as minute warmth when actually in her presence. He did not understand what that meant and assumed it was a type of malfunction. However, several in-depth diagnostic scans had revealed no abnormalities. He had been tempted to ask Wil to take a look, but feared she would no longer treat him as a friend.

It was not until the encounter with the Raiders that took the Good Captain's life that Wil was able to get inside of him. His torso and occipital center had been badly burned and Wil, instead of fleeing the ravaged _Tseen Kee_, came back to save him. She managed to remove debris and avoid the electrical fires by wearing her suit, which was also the way she carried Adam safely to an escape pod.

"Wil!" called Jaeden's voice. Adam returned to the present and smiled as he saw her enter the room. She, as usual, was grinning.

"Is everyone okay? Since the ship had been grounded because of a power failure, it still had coordinates in its system, but I suspended them before the ship went rogue," said Wil breathlessly. "What else needs to be done?" Hara gave Wil what Adam knew to be a warm smile, to anyone else; it would seem a sarcastic smirk.

"I've allowed your equipment to be last so you could situate it to your own liking, Wil," replied Hara, who had to bow her head to meet Wil's eyes. Wil's face lit up.

"Thank-you, Commander!" Wil scampered off so as not to hold up the crew any further. Hara turned to Adam.

"Please go and fetch the 'Good Captain' and inform him we'll be ready for Drop in less than two parsecs." Adam hesitated for a fraction of second, than nodded and left the room. "Lydekker, Leilani, get the _Kee _in range and set up stand-by. Jaeden, connect _Cygnus X-2_ with the _Kee's _silent emergency beacon in case of Raiders. After that, everyone return for Drop."

* * *

Adam was not fond of Captain Hardegan, but there was more than that. Something gave Adam the impression that this man was somehow…dangerous. Something that might resemble fear was distilling in Adam's cognitive network. He could only compare it with the sensation of radiation eating its way through his extremities.

Adam reached the captain's hideaway and pressed the buzzer. After seven seconds, the door slid open. Captain Hardegan stood naked and gleaming; he had a towel in his hand that he was using to dry his hair for only the captain's room had a shower outside of the communal facility on deck three.

"What is it, Medic?" asked Hardegan with a sigh, as if disappointed it had not been someone else at the door.

"We are ready for Drop, sir," replied Adam, easily maintaining focus on the captain's face. Hardegan sighed again.

"I'll be there in ten." With that, the door shut and Adam turned to leave, recalling the image of his captain. His chest had numerous scar tissue build-ups as if a laser removal of a scar or perhaps a tattoo had gone badly. Adam had wondered why someone of Gerald's pride and stature would have been the only man to where a shirt during stasis. Adam was concerned more than he should be and this bothered him. He would have to ask Wil about it later.

* * *

Gerald Hardegan stood facing a wall where he thought a window port should be. A flat and square remote was in his right hand. He pressed a button marked 'SpP1' as in, 'Space Program One,' with his index finger. An image of stars flickered to life on the wall before him. He felt like he was in the void of space. Stars moved toward him as if he was staring out of the cockpit's window. The towel dropped from his left hand. He stood stark still, nude in the darkness of space, like a god at the beginning of life. He felt like a god. Captain's and gods were relatable things in Gerald's mind. He was responsible for the course of lives around him. With a word he could save or send to death any who had given him allegiance. Only he knew all of the secrets surrounding the destinies of these people.

Just like a god.

Gerald quivered with excitement. His hand grazed across his thigh and he gently began to caress himself. Ghosts of thought crept into the peripheral of his mind as he stared ahead into the stars. A woman's caramel face contorted with fear, blood ebbing from her lips, too weak and broken to beg for mercy. A small woman bound and crying as he forced his way into her depths. Charred and maimed bodies strewn about him as he bought and sold people like cattle on a world of his own.

Gerald held back a roar of satisfaction as he released himself onto the floor and wall in front of him. He took a deep breath and dropped the remote. He didn't bother cleaning up after himself; he would never see this room again.

* * *

Everyone had settled at their stations in the drop ship by the time Hardegan sauntered in. The cockpit of the _Cygnus X-2_ had three levels. At the lowest level were Lydekker on the right side and Leilani on the left. In the middle level were Hardegan was in the center chair with Jaeden to his right and Wil to his left. On the upper-most level sat Hara to the left of the door and Adam to right. Adam noted the unusual way Captain Hardegan had glanced at Hara and was currently staring at Wil out of the corner of his eye. Adam wanted to question the man, but Hardegan began to speak.

"If we are all settled," began the captain, whose voice seemed slightly strained. "Arlette, begin auto-release sequence."

"Aye, sir." Wil still had the remnant of a smile on her face.

"Lydekker, engines on stand-by."

"Aye, Captain."

"Moondove lay in coordinates."

"Course plotted, sir."

A large dusty steel shield closed from either side on the outside of the viewing window; to protect the glass from the atmospheric burn-off. Several stationary seconds passed as the ship turned on its rotaries. It came to a hard stop facing where the planet would be directly ahead. Everyone stiffened just before the doors beneath the _Cygnus_ opened and before anyone could say, 'Engage,' the drop doors opened and the ship plummeted into the endless dark.

LV 629 blotted the tapestry of space like a scourge. If the crew could see the planet outside of the topographic map Leilani and Lydekker used to stay on course, a chill would have reverberated throughout them and into their bones. Maybe Leilani or Hara could have used their instincts and years of experience to know that the ominous world that drew them spelled certain disaster. It would have been easy for any of them to know that dark worlds harbor dark secrets under the rocks that they would blast away.

Adam kept his eyes on Wil, as if trying to communicate his worries about the captain to her telepathically. As if on cue, perhaps through the connection she shared with her best friend, or maybe guided by fate, Wil turned her head to Adam. Her smile was faint and her eyes glittered, but she tried to be receptive to him, even comforting in her stare. Adam usually trusted her optimism, but he could not shake a need in him to reach out to her, to protect her from…something, anything, everything! He was not sure why or from what, but he felt a cloud pressing in from above them, all around them, and a distance seemed to spring up between him and the one person that he…never wanted to live without. He felt so far away from her, alone, and he could sense her fear. He needed to break that distance, the imagined chasm that kept him from keeping her safe. He felt a yielding panic.

He _felt_.

The ship shook violently as it entered the thin atmosphere. Wil turned her attention back to her terminal and punched a few keys to regulate the systems.

"Engage engines," barked Hardegan. Lydekker complied silently and as the engines came online, the ride smoothed itself out. Lydekker followed Leilani's coordinates to a 'T' as she had decided where to land based on her pre-sleep instructions. Hardegan brought up his small panel and punched in a few course corrections and sent them to Leilani's screen. "Execute these changes immediately."

"Sir?" Leilani cross-referenced her own scans and maps to these new directions and saw a very unstable landscape on the far side of the planet that read out as 'dry' as in, no usable materials like minerals. She turned her head toward him. He glared at her.

"Do as I say, Moondove. This is an order _direct_ from the Supplier! But my word as Captain should be enough." Leilani instantly turned back and made the adjustments, bearing in mind never to question him again.

"Captain," began Wil "may I ask what we'll be looking for here?" Hardegan swung his chair toward her; his face was stern, but his body language indicated nervousness.

"We shall be drilling into a large hill, or a small mountain depending on your perspective. To get to the…treasure underneath."

"Treasure?" repeated Hara. She was particularly interested as she once had been a treasure hunter with her brother before his death.

"So…we're not looking for geodes or silicates or anything like that? We're looking for, what then, Doubloons?" asked Jaeden incredulously. He had been looking forward to mining for rare rocks and gems.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the details," said Hardegan, getting up and standing beside Wil "but let's just say we all will get a cut large enough to bring us into _retirement_." He bent forward and laid his hands on Wil's terminal and faced Jaeden, but Hardegan's arm was close to brushing Wil's chest. Leilani cheered and Jaeden whistled, even Hara had a pleasantly surprised look on her face. Wil glanced over her shoulder at Adam, and much to his astonishment, a worried under-current maligned her usually cheerful face.

If anyone else had been inclined to notice the typically money-hungry Lydekker, they would have seen his anxious gaze and the sweat that trickled down his forehead. If Wil or Adam or Jaeden had been watching him, they would have been able to tell by his color that he had an uneasiness in his stomach. He simply tried to shrink away into himself, hoping that no one would call him out.

* * *

After opening the ship's shutters, it only took a few minutes for the _Cygnus_ to find its way to the stony valley, it did, however, take several minutes to determine where to set down. Hara finally suggested that she and Wil go down and try to refine the ground a little. Hardegan seemed apprehensive, but eventually consented. Adam was ordered to accompany the two as they made their way to the cargo hold. A fifteen foot in diameter circle marked the area in the room that lowered into a stage for when large crates were brought into and taken from the ship. Adam moved two huge boxes into the circle and picked up a medi-kit and stood next to them. Wil stood next to him and Hara pressed a large red button and rushed back and stood in the circle as the stage lowered itself.

The ship flew off to circle the area until it was safe enough to land. Hara had, on her wrist a type of communicator, so she could call the ship back. Wil stared at the landscape, other than several large boulders and one steep mountain, the terrain was little more than then dark grey dust.

Harsh winds swirled around them, Hara had a hand over her mouth as she and Adam unpacked her gear. Wil felt hypnotized as she gazed upon the strange mountain. She imagined it collapsing as the drilling began, or bursting into a million shards and pinning them all to the dust. No one would ever find them here.

"Wil, are you alright?" asked Adam. She awkwardly stepped over to a large crate and put in the code that would release the lock. She stood back as the front side of the plastic crate lowered itself slowly. Inside was a machine, a Power Loader that was slightly smaller (and therefore more maneuverable) than a regular Power Loader. Wil always kept the large Loader on the ship for the heavy-duty jobs, but this one was her baby. She had made personal upgrades such as a computer interface, arms that became high-speed drills, and claws that extended from the 'toe' and 'heel' of the Loader so travel uphill was easier. Wil smiled nostalgically and clambered inside, ready to move some of the smaller rocks.

She stood and slightly leaned against the 'seat' of her Loader, easily slipping her legs into the groves on the Loader's legs. Next she brought down the top and her smile deepened as she heard the 'Click.' She pressed a numerical code into the pad in the right arm of the Loader and a blue translucent screen appeared between the two bars that framed the face and torso area of the Loader. Finally, Wil gripped the joysticks attached to either arm and, after pressing a starter code on the right keypad, slid the joysticks toward her body, slightly lifted the arms, and stepped out of the crate.

Hara took out several tetryl-tipped explosives and placed them beside the larger rocks. She signaled to Wil, who had just lifted a rock of roughly two hundred pounds, to put in her ear-guards and inserted her own. She moved back to Adam and the crates, a safe distance away from the armed boulders and, after counting to three, pressed the detonator in her hand. One boulder exploded and the winds carried the powdered remains toward the mountain.

Wil walked closer toward the mountain to lay the rock away from the landing space. Her screen was somewhat buzzing as the windstorm interfered with the connection, but Wil was still able to make accurate readouts of the surrounding environment. She bent slowly and set the rock down and stole another glimpse at the mount. She was only fifty feet away and her computer scanned the materials involuntarily, leaving the information on the upper-left corner of the screen, but Wil was too entranced by the mountain. She stared beyond the screen, from the base and up to the peak, which shimmered in the bright moonlight.

Maybe it was a trick of the light, or Wil had sand in her eyes, but she could have sworn she saw a shape, a shadow slipping down the reflective surface and disappearing down behind her range of sight. Wil gasped and took a step forward. She did not dare blink, but her eyes watered up and she shut them for an moment and opened them quickly.

Nothing.

A trick of the light.

Wil looked to her computer screen, perhaps it had detected something.

Ice, iron, silicone…the components of the mass of rock. But nothing on any movement. Wil realized irritably that the peak was far out of range for her suit to pick up and, after one last look, turned and walked back to Adam and Hara as speedily as her Loader would let her.

* * *

Chapter two is down. One page less than chapter one, but…I think this one was slightly more layered. But that's for you to decide. Chapter three is when things get exciting! Please review if you have the time.

Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

God save the Queen—Chapter three

Sorry for the delay, but my connection was down due to non-paid bills!

Once again, thanks to my reviewers! ProjectGun, LiasonFan2, Jack Ishi, and Ladyphan17!! You guys are what bring me back!

I **do****not** own the Aliens.

(Rated **M** for violence, language, and sexual content.)

* * *

The _Cygnus_ slowly settled onto the newly cleared area parallel to their target. The engines blustered dirt and dust all around Adam and Hara, both of whom turned their backs to the ship. Wil was farther away, the gust was not as intense. She was still afraid. She knew…_knew _she had seen something. She was not the type to be scared of things that _might_ be in the dark.

She kept looking at the mountain, the serrated titan, the silent golem. Her eyes focused on the icy peak, even though she was a bit too far away to see it. The feeling of foreboding knotted in her chest continued to constrict, serpentine around her vocal chords and branching into her lungs.

She could not breathe.

She could not speak.

Wil knew herself well enough to be certain that her eyes _never_ play tricks and she does _not_ fright of shadows unless they are cast by something…alive.

They were not alone here.

"Adam…" she said faintly. "Adam!" It was no use. There was no way that even he could hear her while the _Cygnus_ was still online. He was far away, farther than the distance of the ship. Eternity loomed with her and Adam on opposite sides. She would never see him again, she was sure of it. She would rather fall into the infinite than stand at the edge, if there was a chance Adam had jumped in also. She inhaled sharply and a tear rolled down her cheek. "What the hell…is wrong with me? This planet is dead, DEAD! And Adam is…fine. I-I saw him just before the _Cygnus_ set down. GET A GRIP!" Wil shook as she held the joysticks with new resolve. Her old life was resurfacing, that was all. "I suppose I never really moved on, I just pretended…"

"ARLETTE! Answer me, now!" Hardegan's voice was such a shock. Wil had not noticed that the ship was on the ground and the engines were off. She moved forward and around the ship toward her left.

"Where's Captain Hardegan?" asked Wil, who was a bit winded as she came around the ship and saw Jaeden standing there.

"He wanted to do a perimeter around the ship and seemed worried about finding you," said Jaeden. Wil was puzzled by that. Surely he could have seen her on his tracker-watch? As she knew there would (most likely) be a de-briefing, she un-hooked the 'cage' that was around her and lifted it up. As she stepped out of the Loader, her legs seemed weak and shaky and her head was swimming. She started to fall. Jaeden quickly moved to her side and tried to keep her steady. "Are you-"

"I just need to sit down." Wil knew that Jaeden was not strong enough to support her weight and did her best to stand on her own.

"C'mon, Lydekker is setting up the tent, I'm sure there'll be a place to lie down." Jaeden was concerned. There was a bloody history behind cryo-tubes. Many people died or suffered permanent brain damage when scientists began testing the freezing method. Waking up the individuals was always harder than getting them to sleep. Maybe Wil was more injured than she let on? No, Jaeden disregarded that thought. Adam would never put Wil in jeopardy. He was very devoted to her, like a dog to its kind master.

"_Wil and her machines,"_ thought Jaeden with a smirk.

They entered the tent, which was now housing the cargo crates, as well as the rest of the crew, minus Hardegan. Adam immediately rushed to Wil, putting her arm over his shoulder and his arm around her waist, relieving Jaeden. So far, only one cot was set up, it was intended for whoever was keeping watch, but Adam set Wil on it. The others crowded around Adam as he crouched and ran his scanner over her body.

"Wil," began Adam, perplexed, "your body seems fatigued. Pulse, elevated, breathing erratic. Wil!" He looked down at her. Her forearm was resting on her forehead and her topaz eyes were locked with his clear russet ones. "You're trembling." He placed the back of his hand against her cheek. She was cold. And she looked as if she was about to cry.

"Maybe she's having a panic-attack?" suggested Leilani. Adam stood.

"Please wait outside. Proceed with the mission and inform the captain. I shall tend to Wil." Adam's voice was resolute, however no one moved.

"He's right, there's nothing we can do for Wil," said Hara. Adam was eased. "Let's get a sense of what needs to be done." The others, as concerned as they were, only shrugged and set off to work. Hara took one last glance over her shoulder; Adam was reaching for Wil's hand. Hara stiffened slightly, but left the tent. He was, after all, the closest thing they had to a doctor on this planet.

Hardegan came round the ship looking ghostly. It startled everyone except Hara, who was still pensive about Adam's strange behavior.

She remembered when Adam first came on board the _Tseen Kee_. Captain Bane had insisted on a medic that would never get tired. The ship's doctor at that time, Halil Fahim, was looking forward to an apprentice. Commander Oneda was not quite sure about trusting something that had once been in the hands of Raiders, but after Adam had given Bane crippling information about a Raider stronghold, Oneda was happy to add him to the crew.

At that time, Adam was little more than a device that assisted Halil. He rarely spoke, did not attend meals or missions. He never left the lab, let alone the ship. He was a mechanical phantom. Hara had almost forgotten he existed, everyone had, except Wil. She would always ask Halil if Adam was adjusting to the new ship and its duties, if Adam was content, if he had needs. Halil was very sophisticated and genteel for a Privateer, but regarded Wil's inquiries as childish and amusing, not once taking them seriously.

So Wil had sought out answers on her own. She spent hours talking with Adam. Hara had paid no real attention until…until he began acting as a real member of the crew. After Halil was arrested and disappeared within the Company's red tape, Adam became the primary physician. That was when he started to exhibit human mannerisms. He smiled and joined the crew in the mess hall. He even seemed to care for Wil, and Hara knew that Wil regarded him as a friend.

Deep down, Hara did not trust Adam now, in fact she never had.

Hardegan had made his way to the group.

"Did you find her?" He was almost wild.

"Y-yes," Leilani stammered "but there's something wrong with her…again." Leilani's voice was a mixture of fear and annoyance. Wil never tried to be the center of attention, as Leilani often did. She had even noticed Lydekker recently giving Wil 'the eye.' That made Leilani just a wee bit jealous, as Wil did not seem to have the faintest interest in men. Well, not _human_ men.

"Maybe she's a dyke…like you?" Leilani had once said to Hara, shortly after Wil joined the crew and had spurned a man's advances during off-time.

"No, we dykes can always tell. She's just…innocent." Hara had responded.

Leilani coughed as she came out of her reverie. Hardegan pushed passed her and went toward the tent.

"Start setting up the right equipment for drilling into cryo-volcanoes! Cole, Moondove, scan the mountain. Ynes and Lydekker set up the machines! I want a plan and _some_ action before I come out!" Hardegan roared before disappearing behind the tent flap.

"Adam!" snarled the captain. "What--is--going--on?" He stared at Wil, who looked as if she was asleep. Adam slowly turned to face him; a completely un-android expression of irritation on his face.

"Captain, she was unstable. She…responded negatively to this environment. Did you know she was claustrophobic?" Hardegan gaped at Adam, whose face had become placid and unreadable.

"What the mother-fucking hell does **that** have to do with **this **mission?!" Hardegan fumed. Adam sighed.

"She will, no doubt, have to go _inside_ of the volcano once Hara has drilled an entrance into it?" Adam looked disdainfully at the captain, who appeared to be dumbfounded. Hardegan collected himself and cleared his throat.

"Well, can she work? Can she do what the Supplier is paying her handsomely to do?" asked Hardegan, moving over toward the cot and peering at Wil.

"I've given her a mild sedative, but I can just as easily wake her if that's what—"

"Those are my orders." Hardegan stated simply and left the tent.

* * *

In space, the _Tseen Kee_ floated mutely, a marvel of the modern world. Small, sturdy, archaic. Considered beautiful only to those who had survived with it, knew what it was capable of.

Had once been capable of.

In an instant, a signal transmitted into the _Kee_ rendered the defenseless hulk silent forever.

The _Tseen Kee_, once proudly Captained by Armando Finch, Johan Markova, and Iggy Bane, was now dead.

Like a spirit, a shadow, as massive as it was mysterious, passed over the lifeless ship and engulfed it like water. Black water even darker than the surrounding space.

* * *

Hardegan glanced at his tracking watch. Two hours in, Hara had mapped out the best location to commence drilling.

"The trick isn't just getting through the rock and ice, but making sure there's someplace to go once you've gotten through!" said Hara as she examined the sonic scan readouts Jaeden and Leilani had taken. Everyone except Hardegan had set everything up beyond Hardegan's expectations, but without Wil, the mission could only progress so far.

Hardegan checked his watch again. He gulped and a bead of sweat slid down his temple. He was about to go back inside the tent and yell at Adam when he suddenly saw Wil standing in front of the flap. She was smiling, but her skin was rather pale.

"Captain?" said Wil. Adam was standing behind her and he seemed…threatened. Hardegan stuck out his chest.

"Arlette, are you ready to proceed?"

"Of course, Captain Hardegan. Ready when you are." He nodded.

"Everyone, gather round," called Hardegan to the others. They trotted over, confused but not entirely surprised. "Since the interior is very likely to be dark and labyrinthine, I've decided to issue, complimentary thanks to the Supplier, tracking watches similar to mine and Ynes'." Everyone grinned happily and took one of the watches from Hardegan's hand. "These watches will track your bodies through the rocks using infrared imaging. That way, you won't get separated." The crew put their watches on and stood alert for orders. Hardegan grinned, a deep, ugly grin and folded his arms across his chest satisfactorily. "Now that everything's in place, we can begin."

Hara operated the machinery while Leilani, Jaeden, and Lydekker made sure the drop ship was operational. Hardegan sent a message to the Supplier via a personal computer. He tried to anyway. After several failed attempts, Wil and Adam set up signal boosting beacons to enhance the quality of all transmissions on and off the planet.

Wil was hard pressed to stay professional and numb. She desperately wanted, needed to tell Adam about what she saw, but it was difficult to get a moment alone with him. Finally, when a break period had been initiated to reset the equipment, Wil pulled Adam aside, behind the ship while everyone else ate in the tent, aside from Hardegan who went inside the ship.

"Wil, are you alright?" Adam's expression made Wil hurt inside and she struggled to find words.

"Adam, I-" she took his hands "Adam, if I told you something that sounded impossible, would you believe me?" Adam blinked.

"I don't have any reason to doubt you, Wil." Wil took a deep breath.

"I saw, I think I saw, a shadow on the mountain. I know that it was probably my imagination and saying it out loud makes me realize how stupid it sounds." She glanced up into Adam's face. He did not look misbelieving, mystified perhaps. She beamed. "I feel so much better now that I've gotten that off my chest. Thanks for listening and I'm sorry if I worried you." Adam opened his mouth to reply, but Wil embraced him. He was stunned, they had never hugged before, and he had never hugged or been hugged by anyone. He gradually, caringly, wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on her head.

"Wil," he began "you don't have to be afraid. I won't let anything happen to." He did not know why he said it, if there truly was nothing to worry about, but it made her hold him closer and that felt good. The 

embrace ended too soon as they heard the others exiting the tent and preparing to move on. Wil and Adam gazed into each other's faces and smiled sweetly. Together they rejoined the group.

Hardegan informed the others of the next steps in the mission. Wil, in her Loader suit, would enter the newly unearthed cavern first and determine the structural integrity, followed by Jaeden, who would install communication nodes in the walls of the cave, than Hara would enter and scan for the next drilling point.

"So now will you tell us what we're supposed to be looking for, Captain? Since we're going in the mountain and all," asked Leilani. Hardegan glared at her.

"You'll know it when you see it," was his terse reply. Wil strapped herself back into her Power Loader, Jaeden picked up his case of nodes, and Hara grabbed her scanning goggles and sonic scanner and Wil entered the mouth of the mountain.

At first, she was alone in total darkness. The only light came from the blue screen that mapped out the cave before her. The screen would fade then return, static ebbed into the image, but not so much that she could not see. She veered off to her right, following the natural walls. Wil was puzzled by the symmetry of the caves turns. According to her readouts, it would seem nature could not form such soft angles.

At forty feet in, Wil stopped. The cavern opened up slightly so she turned the face of her watch and pressed it down.

"Hara, solid foundation. Entrance able." Wil new the message would be foggy, but she also knew that Jaeden would record it, play it back, and clean it up. Wil studied the readouts on her screen. She did not understand what natural resource could be so valuable here.

The silence was over-whelming. It was so quiet; she could hear her heart beating, the blood flowing in her veins, her breath echoing off of the walls as loudly as an earthquake.

Wil shook her head and reached into a secret compartment hidden in the Loader's left arm and pulled out a flashlight. She turned it on and squinted as the light danced across the interior. Wil had been too nervous to realize how cold it was, but in the feeble light could see her breath escaping her lips. She took the light in her right hand and reached for the wall with her left. She was in awe at the smoothness of the rock and the layer of frost so thin it was as if it had only rested there for a few years.

Wil was captivated and confused by this, so much so that she did not notice the words flashing on the bottom right of the screen.

'_**Movement detected.'**_

Suddenly Wil heard a noise, something she had not caused. A sound like a swish or a breath, far away but in the stillness distinct. Wil turned her head and moved the flashlight all around. She gripped the left arm's joystick and lifted it to chest level, still holding the light in her right hand. She moved back a few paces and turned.

"Hara? Jaeden?" The reverberation of her voice traveled throughout the cavern and melded into one indistinguishable sound. She held her breath.

Nothing returned to her.

Wil eyed her watch, twisted the face.

The little screen was black.

She fiddled with the watch, the light in her hand making it hard to maneuver the tracker. Without warning, the Loader screen turned red and an alarm sounded. Wil screamed and dropped the light, raised the Loaders arms high to cover her face, and backed herself against a wall.

'_**Proximity alert. Proximity alert.' **_

Wil was crying and despite herself, closing her eyes. A voice down inside was yelling_, 'The gun! Don't give in! Be fearless!'_ But it was no use. The proximity alarm was too loud. Wil's mind raced through the memories she had pretended for so long did not exist. The darkness, the pain. It was enough to give her some strength. She opened her eyes, although it was too dark to see, but she was ready to face her enemy. She would not die blindly.

"No," she said faintly.

"Wil? Wil!"

"Adam?" Wil lowered the arms slightly, but it was not Adam that had come, it was Jaeden and Hara behind him. Hara lifted a bright flashlight that Wil realized was attached to a Desert Eagle. Jaeden raced over to the flashing red screen, climbed onto the side of the Loader, and pressed a code in the left arm's keypad to mute the wailing. Hara lit a flare and tossed it forward, the light made the ice sparkle and the whole room came to life.

It was empty.

"Wil, are you okay what happened?" Jaeden had a hand on her shoulder as she was not seeing him but staring at the screen. Jaeden noticed this and tried to console her. "Me and Hara set off the alarm that's all. Sorry if we scared you," Jaeden chuckled, trying to replace Wil's horrified expression with her usual smile.

"It wasn't you," Wil said weakly. "I-I saw it." Jaeden blinked and Hara turned to face them.

"Saw what?"

"Wil, I'm telling you, it was us."

"Then why didn't I see you coming on the watch?!"

"Our watches were malfunctioning too, until I planted the nodes—"

"My alarms don't go off when detecting the crew!"

"—like I said, malfunctions—"

"I'M TELLING YOU I SAW SOMETHING!!"

"What? What did you see Wil?" Hara asked, approaching slowly. Jaeden jumped off of the Loader and Wil steadied her breathing.

"Not here…on the mountain's peak…" Wil inhaled. "I realize it doesn't make sense, but I know _something_ was there! We've got to get out of here." Jaeden looked at Hara skeptically, but Hara was not so sure.

"You don't really think that there's life on this rock?" he asked dubiously. Hara shook her head.

"But, if there is treasure here, we might not be the only ones after it," she surmised. Jaeden's eyes went wide, Wil focused on Hara.

"Shouldn't we…call the captain? Tell him what's going on?" Jaeden nodded and Hara began to operate her watch.

"Captain Hardegan, we—"

A shudder rumbled throughout the cavern walls, brutally jostling the three inside. Jaeden stumbled and fell backwards, Hara fell against the wall opposite Wil, and Wil stood motionless, her suit absorbing most of the shock. Dust and ice rained all around them, everyone coughed.

"Are you two okay?" asked Wil, repositioning herself and her Loader so that she could scan them.

"Fine," called out Hara gutturally. Jaeden picked up Wil's discarded flashlight as the sprinkling of debris had snuffed out the flare.

"What the hell was that?" he asked his voice cracking.

"Seismic…activity," said Hara as she gathered herself. Wil was busy worrying about Adam and Jaeden was shaking his head emphatically.

"We're _inside_ a volcano, right? What if it's going to erupt?" Jaeden squeaked. Hara glanced to Wil, but all she could see was the blue screen in the darkness.

"Right, we're getting out of here now. Just until we can re-test this place," said Hara standing up straight. She moved two steps. Wil noticed a flashing on her screen, words in the upper right corner.

'_**Structure unstable. Execute extreme caution while maneuvering. Structure unstable. Departure is advised.' **_

"Guys," Wil whispered, but it was too late. A large rock the size of a dog slammed between the three of them. Jaeden jumped back, closer toward the exit route, Hara and Wil remained immobile.

"Nobody moves a muscle," said Hara quickly but quietly. "We'll do this one at a time. Jaeden, you first, Wil, get out of your suit and—" They never heard what came after that 'and.' A strained groan trembled all around them. Time stood still for what felt like years. Hara rushed forward and was halted by a boulder half her size falling in front of her. She leapt to the side to try to go around it, but had to jump back as several more cat-sized rocks fell down around her.

"Hara!" cried Jaeden as he was forced to edge back toward the entry tunnel. Rocks were filling the space between them. Wil could see Hara's gun light moving farther into the unexplored cave. Wil had to do something. She tried to run toward her commander, but the mountain fragments were up passed the Loader's knees. Wil frantically began clearing a path.

"LOOK OUT!!" yelled Jaeden. Wil stood just as a boulder the size of a man landed exactly where Wil's head had been. She stepped backward. A smaller rock came down and hit Wil's head and bounced off of her left shoulder, causing a gash above her ear. She clutched the spot with her hand and craned the Loader's arm over her head. Thuds and clangs rang in Wil's ears as more stones pummeled her suit. She moved backward until she hit the wall where she had previously been standing. Her screen was buzzing and the rocks were filling up all of the space around her.

The small gulf was sealed.

Jaeden had nowhere to go but back to the surface. He did not want to leave his friends, but knew there was no other way to help them.

Hara turned and held her gun level with her eyes, she had no choice but to go forward into the unknown, and hope she would find a way out.

Wil was trapped, buried alive. Even if she could drill through the rubble, it would only cause the rocks to slip into the small pocket that kept her temporarily safe. It could even trigger another quake.

Wil tried not to think about it. Dwelling on the searing pain in her head, the limited supply of oxygen, the cramped space, and the indefinite status of her friends would surely not help her. Her computer screen had died out. If she still had the strength, she could have reactivated it. As it was, she could feel the blood draining from her face and her eyes kept rolling to the back of her head.

"No!" Wil's voice was desperate but hushed. Haze closed in around her mind and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

A fist crashed into the side of a woman's face. She spit out blood and a tooth. She struggled slightly against the rope that bound her to a chair.

"Sit still," came a man's voice. The back of his hand slapped the other side of her face. She coughed, choking on blood and tears.

"Hey," came a second male voice "we better sterilize the wounds. Don't want her getting sick!"

"Good idea," said the first man. He walked over to a make-shift stove and picked up a pot of boiling water. Before the woman could register what was happening, the man threw the water into the woman's face and chest. She screamed and shook and struggled and cried. The second man walked up to her, grabbing a handful of hair and yanking her head back. Her vision was blurry.

"Maybe now the old man'll play," he snickered, taking in the cuts and bruises all over her body. He moved away and a third man pointed a light and camera in her face. The first man spoke.

"Dear Claudius Winston and Associates. We, the People's Republic of Americas, cordially request information regarding top secret military projects, 'Omega Io' and 'Omega Demos' respectively. Otherwise, Little Wilona here will never see the light of day again etcetera, etcetera. You have 48 hours to comply!"

Now Wil stood alone before a grave.

'Here lies Wilma Smith-Winston and Wilhelmina Winston. Taken by God together on the day of new life.'

Wil dropped a flower and left, passing without notice, her father's grave.

Darkness.

Silence.

"_Do you believe in heaven?"_

* * *

"Ah!" Wil startled. It took her a few seconds to shake away the old ghosts. She shivered in the gloom. "I have to get outside," she stated shakily. Uneasily she reached for the buttons on the arm above her and reactivated the computer screen. It automatically scanned for a means of escape. Wil tried not to be so certain that there was no escape.

'_**Beep, beep, beep, beep!'**_

Wil sat up, wild-eyed and could not help but laugh.

The wall behind her was hollow.

Beyond the wall was a very large cavern that could harbor and exit.

Wil's smile faded slightly when she realized she was not facing the wall that she needed to get through. But she was determined to survive. After a minute or two of thought, Wil decided that she had to take a risk. Cautiously, Wil maneuvered the left Loader's arm up. A few small rocks slid out of place, but that was all. Next Wil bent the arm and slipped it over her head, the tips of the two large 'fingers' were touching the wall. With a quick prayer Wil activated the drill. The two fingers closed, a pointed tip emerged, and the hand began spinning rapidly.

Soon, a hole about the size of a human head had been created. Wil moved the arm a fraction and began drilling again. Now came the hard part. Wil pressed the arm that was holding up the rocks deeper into them, as hard as she could. Once the hole had been made bigger, Wil shut off the drill and lowered the arm slightly. Wil took a deep breath and, without time to think, veered around to face the hole. The rocks above her creaked but mercifully stayed in place. Wil then began drilling once more at about waist level.

Twenty minutes passed. If Wil had not opened up into the next cavern, she surely would have run out of air.

She tried not to think about Adam, but when her thoughts steered toward him, she imagined how he must be much better off than she was. He might have even been on his way to find her, maybe digging through the rubble at that very moment. Wil sighed and allowed the tears to come. They dripped without a sound as Wil focused only on breaking through the wall.

The drill's whirring stopped. The rocks around her creaked and crashed. Wil braced herself for death. She felt warm air on her face.

The wall had fallen, she had broken through.

Timing was everything. She stepped up over a foot of the wall she had not been able to cut down and stumbled gracelessly into the opening, the momentum moving her forward. The ceiling of rocks collapsed, keeping Wil shut in inside this new area. Wil waited for a readout and reached into a secret compartment in her right arm, pulling out a flare. She only had two, but felt desperate for some light. She lit the flare and shut her eyes against the harshness. After a few seconds, Wil, holding the flare away from her face, examined the computer screen.

The room was like a honeycomb, dozens of small tunnels were imbedded in every wall, most of them too high for Wil to reach.

She noticed a precipice not too far away. She moved toward it, but still kept about five feet between her and it.

Suddenly, the screen began flashing in red.

The alarm was still mute, but the computer had detected something nearby. Wil turned, thinking it was Adam, having forgotten about the computer not reading crew members as threats.

The light of the flare flashed across something stooped and dark, its dome glistening. It was less than ten feet from her. She opened her mouth to speak. The thing stood tall, its long head was down. Wil could see its bones. The arm holding the flare began to tremble. The head ascended slowly, a gleaming grin of razor-sharp teeth greeted her. Wil's mouth widened to a scream, but no voice could be found there. The creature's mouth opened as well and a deadly, almost delicate hiss emanated from its depths, sending a dagger of chill deep into Wil's core. A long thing like a tongue with its own mouth glided out, thick liquid oozing off of it.

The flare slipped from Wil's fingers, but the she could still see the creature as it stood tauntingly before her. Finally Wil found her voice and screamed as no one had ever screamed in all of history, and the beast jumped toward her.

* * *

WOW! 12 pages, y'all still awake? I hope you enjoyed! I gotsta get ready for work, but I'll start on 4 tonight and it should be up by next week.

Please review! I even except flames.


	4. Chapter 4

God save the Queen—Chapter 4

I **do** **not** own the Aliens. (I just like 'em!)

Thanks to my readers and reviewers; Justifiedlover, Peya Luna, ProjectGun, Jack Ishi, ladyphan17, and Liasonfan2!

_(Rated _**M**_ for violence, language, and sexual content.)_

* * *

Adam watched Wil disappear into the mountain. It took all of his determination not to follow her. Jaeden and Hara were stern by the entrance, waiting for Wil's signal. Leilani made jokes and flirted with Lydekker, who seemed only half interested as he smoked a cigarette.

To keep his mind from eating itself away with agony over Wil, Adam looked for Hardegan. He was pacing and checking his laptop for messages, every so often glancing at the sky.

Adam did not like they way he was fidgeting.

Adam pretended to take dirt samples while watching Hardegan out of the corner of his eye. The laptop beeped and the captain rushed over to answer it. Luckily for Adam, Hardegan, red-faced and sweating, was mouthing the words as he typed. He read his lips:

'_Wait for the signal. We fell behind. Not much longer.' _

Another chime sounded. Both Adam and Hardegan looked at the duo by the mount simultaneously. Jaeden had his watch to his ear and Hara was sliding the goggles over her eyes and stepping inside, Jaeden soon followed. Adam's eyes flew to Hardegan; that demon smile spread over his face again as his entire body seemed to relax. Confidence leached out of the man as he typed a new message:

'_We are ready.'_

Adam stood, jaw clenched, body rigid. Hardegan was about experience this android's attempt of accusatory fury. He could not help but steal a glance at Leilani and Lydekker. He was opening supply crates and Leilani helped. Adam wished they would back him up, he wished he knew exactly why anyone had trusted Hardegan. Something dark was happening. Adam had no instincts to guide him, but somewhere deep inside him, maybe in a place that Wil had cultivated, Adam knew Hardegan had sold them out, led Wil into a trap, or perhaps was an undercover Galactic Patrolman.

Lydekker and Leilani looked up in unison when they heard the sound; the sound of a muffled crunch. They saw Hardegan slide off of the rock he had used as a chair and drop to the ground. They gaped at the fear and shock in Hardegan's purpling face and the raw emotion that they recognized as rage radiating out of Adam. Leilani gasped and Lydekker took a step toward them, more confused than afraid.

"Oi! The fuck you doin', Syntho?!" There was no time to answer, even if Adam _had_ intended to. Everything happened very quickly after that. Hardegan gazed up into the sky, relief and triumph on his face. Adam ran for the _Cygnus_, Leilani tossed an M-16 to Lydekker and picked up her own, aiming for the clouds.

A black and burning mass of smoke filled the gray sky. The sound of mechanical thunder, engines flaring, whirled throughout the sky. Once the ship had broken through the atmosphere and was preparing to land beside the _Cygnus_, Leilani opened fire on the descending craft, screaming.

The invading ship, a modern, ugly thing, extended three long legs for balance, making setting down on such an unstable landscape much easier.

Leilani shot at the trapdoors that housed the legs.

The ship sparked and crashed into the earth.

The shockwave sent Leilani flying backward and Adam forward; he rammed into the Cygnus. If he had been human, he would have been dead.

Hardegan was crawling toward the new ship. Adam tried to move, but he could feel his cognitive network operating involuntarily; the paralysis that accompanied automatic repairs was taking over his senses, his ability to defend himself.

'_Wil!' _Adam thought. _'I…have to save, Wil.' _Tremors shot through his body as he tried to end the repairs on his left side. Milky liquid dripped out of his arm and chest, but he forced himself to sit up. He got to his feet and staggered laboriously toward the opening, one word looping through his mind; _Wil_. Some of his cerebral functions shut down in order to focus on starting repairs, but still Adam continued. Vaguely he noticed Leilani aiming for the door of the ship, Lydekker standing behind her, ashen. Adam's ability to function was dwindling away. His body, in a desperate act of self-preservation, was systematically halting minor programs in order to force Adam to stop so proper repairs could be initiated.

Adam lost all sense of self; he could not even remember where he was. All he knew was his resolve to save Wil.

"Stop him!" cried a voice. Gruff and strained. A voice Adam did not remember anymore. Suddenly, a jolt surged into him and he froze. His vision began to dim even as he stared into the cave.

'_No! I'm so sorry, Wil.' _Adam, in full repair mode, collapsed, landing on his back stiffly.

"Lydekker, are you ready to open fire?" Leilani whispered. Lydekker walked away from Adam and crossed back to oblivious Leilani. He raised the butt of his gun and struck Leilani in the back of the head with it. She slumped to the ground, instantly unconscious. Hardegan was there beside him. They walked together to the ship, where a bridge was extending. An assortment of different men came rushing down; scientists, soldiers, and grunts.

A very haughty looking man in a white coat was the only one taking his time striding out of the ship. He walked immediately to Hardegan; stern professionalism written across his face.

"How many fathoms?" The question sounded cryptic to Lydekker, Hardegan cleared his throat.

"Not many. But, they haven't contacted me." Hardegan's voice was slurred, a side effect of the swelling. A ghost of a smile flickered across the man's face. He pushed passed the two and made his way toward the cave. Two men in dark grey armor were setting up Sonic Spinners; a _very_ advanced (and expensive) machine that used sound waves to drill and generally manipulate rock.

"It has begun," the man said as he stepped over Leilani's crumpled form.

* * *

It was hot and dark. Perspiration coated every inch of skin. The air seemed to be growing thinner. The darkness was as smothering as the heat. Yet, Jaeden continued to move forward. He was mumbling Hara and Wil's name over and over, trying to stay conscious and in control.

Jaeden was no fool. He knew that the numbness off his face that felt like it was separating his head from his body was a stage of shock. Jaeden could not let himself go into shock; otherwise, _they_ would die in that cavern.

Finally, after what felt like eons, Jaeden saw a light and human shapes moving in the light. Jaeden tried to call out to them, but his throat was so dry, only a wisp of a sound came out. Even so, the two figures looked in his direction. Jaeden began crying as relief spread warmly through his body, giving him his senses back. The shapes moved, as if bending away and Jaeden reached out his hand to them. He was so close.

Without warning, a stabbing pain pierced directly through Jaeden's ears. He doubled over. Everything shook around him. A rock fell into the entrance. Then another. Several. The doorway was half sealed now.

"No…" Jaeden said his voice scratchy and weak. "NOOOOOOO!!" Despite the loudness and pain, Jaeden stood and stumbled toward the narrowing exit. But it was too late.

There was no more light.

There was no escape.

There was no hope.

Jaeden fell to the ground, barely cognizant. Since there was nowhere to go, and the numbness was coming on so easily, and it was cooler than the suffocating cave, Jaeden surrendered.

There was really nothing else he could do.

* * *

The thing stood, its long head was down. Wil could see its bones. The arm holding the flare began to tremble. The head ascended slowly, a gleaming grin of razor-sharp teeth greeted her. Wil's mouth widened to a scream, but no voice could be found there. The creature's mouth opened as well and a deadly, almost delicate hiss emanated from its depths, sending a dagger of chill deep into Wil's core. A long thing like a tongue with its own mouth glided out, thick liquid oozing off of it.

The flare slipped from Wil's fingers, but she could still see the creature as it stood tauntingly before her. Finally Wil found her voice and screamed as no one had ever screamed in all of history, and the beast jumped toward her.

Wil began moving backward as she screamed. She stretched out the Loader's right arm. The monster landed against it; its chest caught in between the two fingers. The beast tried to clamber its way out. Wil was faster, she squeezed the trigger on her joystick and the fingers closed around the beast, pinning it by its hips.

It hissed and screeched fiercely, swinging its arms and trying to grab the cage that protected Wil. Wil turned to and fro, disoriented from fear. She had completely forgotten about the small cliff at the far end of the room.

Suddenly, Wil took a step and there was nothing but air behind her. She turned the suit to the side, wedging the elbow against the wall. Her right leg was still on the cliffs edge. She quickly pressed the keypad sequence that released the "claws" on the heel and toe of her right foot. Wil glanced at the creature in her hand through the blue screen. It was dangling above the pit. Wil scanned the darkness below. After a 12 foot drop, a yawning pool of ammonia and water well below freezing was waiting for her down there. The Loader slid down another inch or two making a horrible scraping noise.

Wil needed her other arm.

Without thinking, Wil threw the creature as far toward the cliffs rim as she could without compromising her position. As the Loader slipped slightly, Wil operated the right arms drill and plunged it into the wall next to her. The descent instantly stopped.

Wil needed to get out of her suit, even if there was nowhere to go. She deftly pressed the arms keypad and activated a small camera that was on the Loader's back. She used the Joystick to shift the camera all around to find the monster.

The room was empty.

Wil was almost weary enough to believe that she had imagined the whole thing.

Almost.

Once Wil was sure that the room was empty, or at least was willing to convince herself foolishly that the room was empty, she unhooked the cage and took off her seatbelt. She held onto the driller arm and removed her legs from the Loaders' legs. Slowly but without elegance, Wil managed to turn herself around so that her front was against the seat. She grabbed the suits' shoulders and pulled herself up slightly. The flare was still flickering, but only lit a small portion of the room.

It was just too still. Eerily so. More so than when she had first entered.

Her right hand opened a small secret compartment where her head would have been. Just as her fingers brushed against the coldness of solid steel, Wil heard a soft thump.

The creature's face was suddenly above her. Its gaping mouth so close that she could feel the humid breath. She screamed and let go of the suit.

Quickly, so quickly Wil felt more than saw it, the things vice-like hands were around her arms and before she knew what was happening the creature pulled her up and jumped onto the ridge. A few seconds later, the Loader creaked and dropped into the frozen lake.

Wil scrambled to her feet and ran to the flare, as if the dull reddish light would protect her. Hissing and other swishing sounds were all around her. She spun but could not see anything. Out of nowhere, the beast was upon her, eye level at first, than standing to a full three feet above her. Its arms were spread wide. She tripped and landed on her bottom, she felt even smaller now as she sat before the glossy alien.

Hot tears were pouring down her cheeks but she did not perceive them. Wil was trembling with fear and feeling faint and desperate to see Adam's nervous smile and was completely aware of every molecule in the universe all at once. The end was near and there was so much Wil regretted. The hole in her heart that she never knew was there was so blatant now that the fact she would die with such a mortal wound seemed morbidly comical.

She closed her eyes to replace the image of the gruesome beast with beautiful memories. Predominantly, they contained Adam, her best friend, her only real friend. She was happy to die thinking of him.

But death did not come.

Wil opened her eyes. The flare was out, but her vision had adjusted somewhat to the darkness. The creature was still in the same spot less than 5 feet from her, no longer standing but crouching; its gleaming teeth visible. Wil realized with a heavy uncertainty in her gut that the creature had pulled her from the suit to _save_ her from falling to an icy death. Wil blinked, she could not believe that it actually wanted to help her.

"Why…" Wil managed to whisper, her voice so quiet she could not be sure at first if the word was spoken or thought. "Why did you save me?" The words felt large and awkward leaving her dry mouth. The thing languidly moved its head toward the edge of the rocks. Wil gasped. "Because I didn't drop you, I didn't let you die?" It moved its head to face her square on and gave the slightest nod.

Wil's insides quivered; it could understand her.

An unnatural rumble rolled through the rocks around them. Wil stood, leaning against the wall for support. The creature also stood and released a terrible shriek. Wil pressed herself into the wall as far as possible. It may have saved her life, but it was still a thing to be feared.

"I need to get out to Adam," Wil said to herself, trying to think of some way of getting out of the mountain. Without warning the monster was in front of her again. It clutched her roughly around the waist with its boney tail and climbed nimbly up the wall. Wil screamed and struggled until the thing clasped a hand over her mouth and she fainted.

* * *

There was something different about this room. The walls were webbed with a crystalline resin that most definitely was not ice. Hara was far inside the mountain. The air was stale and warm. She kept her eyes focused, infrared readings helped her keep from falling into a pit.

She had not lowered her gun once.

She was totally alone. The only thought present in her mind other then escape, was whether or not Jaeden had made it to outside. Every 10 feet or so, Hara tried the wrist communicator. She knew it was futile. The signal would never stretch enough to reach the surface.

A strange wet noise echoed behind Hara. She turned. Nothing. She moved in circles, looking up and down. Still nothing. Something cool and hard brushed against her calf and instantly she turned and shot at air. Even though she could not see anything but stalagmites, she knew she was not alone.

"Show yourself!" she shouted, but the sound diffused against the uneven walls and broke into silence. Hara decided to change her infrared lens into a heat-reading lens. She used her left hand to slide a dial in the middle of her goggles and, just like in an old eye examination, the lenses seemed to flip from infrared to night vision and finally to heat signature reading. Hara almost swallowed her tongue. The oxygen stuck like a lump in her chest.

The entire room was giving off readings.

The heat was coming from the walls, the floor, the ceiling.

She began shooting wildly. A few high pitched screams reverberated around her. She was screaming too. As Hara backed away, she tripped over a moist stalagmite and fell backward, dropping her weapon 

and hitting her head. She sat quickly and her heart stopped when she heard a watery popping noise. What had caused her trip was not a stalagmite at all.

The top of the "stalagmite" had bloomed like a flower. Soft squelching emanated from it. Hara was hypnotized with horror as a slimy spidery thing crawled over the rim. Hara desperately grabbed for her gun but the thing leaped forward, wrapping itself around her face.

After a muffled scream and a minute struggle, Hara was still.

* * *

The beast pulled Wil alongside it through narrow tunnels and wide corridors. It still had one hand over her mouth, which did help support her back, but her legs were tired from straining to keep off of the ground and the monster's tail was digging acutely into her skin. As she came in and out of her spell, she only managed to notice that they, or rather, it, was moving steadily upward.

After Wil awoke, she moved her hands to hold on to its arm. She was not trying to pull it away, she held tightly to steady the motion of the beast, which was starting to make her sick.

In a particularly cramped tunnel, the beast slowly slipped its hand away from her mouth and lowered her onto the ground. It stayed squatting and breathing hard. Its face was focused on her intently, but the alien look of it was making Wil queasy, so she moved a few inches ahead of him. It was right above her as she crawled. She lay completely on her belly and slowly edged forward, the monster, with its arms and legs on either side of her, followed her every movement. Wil was so absorbed in the feel of the creature's chest grazing her back as they went, it took her a minute to feel the cool breeze on her face. Wil gasped and sped up. An aperture just large enough for one person…or alien monster to squeeze through.

Wil dragged herself to the rim and peeked out. She began crying almost at once.

Men in unrecognizable uniforms were removing rubble with large hover-barrels and dumping them 20 feet away. She heard the vibration of the mountain as the Spinners broke through more rock. A large team of 30 men armed with weaponry, moved toward the mountain out of Wil's line of sight. A few men in lab coats followed the well-armed ones, large covered stretchers and other containers, hovering beside them.

Wil scanned the crowd, searching for Adam. She wondered where these people had come from. Rationally, they were _supposed_ to be here, part of the job that they came, but Wil's instinct told her no.

Wil beamed when she saw Adam. He was tending to a group of wounded men near the _Cygnus_. He did not look happy. Wil tried to climb down the long hill to get to him, tears of joy streaming down her face. All she needed to do was hold him, breath him in, and she would be safe. She would not waste anymore time being embarrassed or frightened. She would embrace Adam, tell him the truth about her past and her feelings for him and he would love her, they would love together. Away from the _Tseen Kee_ and Hardegan, away from the Company and Privateering, and Raiders and death. Wil tried to fling herself forward; desperate, elated. But something held her back. There was a hiss, quick and almost pleading.

"Ahhh! Let me go! I have to get to him. Adam!" The alien was holding her by her arms, but her head was sticking out of the cavity. "ADAM!" she yelled as loud as she could. Several people including Adam glanced upward. Everyone's expression was completely stunned, but no one more than Lydekker, Hardegan, and especially Adam.

"Wil?" Adam choked out.

"Fire!" called out an angry voice. Adam turned just as several men raised their guns.

"NO!" he shouted, jumping toward the nearest man and knocking him down. Bullets flew and collided with the mountain surface. Adam stared up in terror, but Wil's head had disappeared.

"LET ME GOOOO!!" Wil screamed at the top of her lungs. The creature shrieked and threw her onto her back and jumped on top of her, pinning her to the dirt. She was weeping and struggling and doing her best not to look into its face, which was mere inches from hers. It was as still as stone, even as she thrashed about beneath it. Slowly, Wil's resistance faded. She was exhausted, miserable, and still sustained a head injury. She gazed into the creature's face. It was oddly sympathetic in a strange and hideous way. She shivered and passed out; cold, weak, and alone.

The alien watched her face, how she breathed. This woman was a strange soft thing. Helpless, yet determined. It tilted its head to the side in consideration of her and the type of spawn she would produce, and carried her like a child back down the tunnel and into the nest.

* * *

"_Do you believe in heaven?"_

Wil woke startled. She glanced around the cave she was in. The walls were coated in a thick semi-opaque waxy substance. She sat up and nearly screamed. The alien was close by, hidden in the wall slightly, its skin almost completely blended with the matter on the walls. She moved away somewhat, toward a dark hall at the far end of the room, but stopped dead when the creature's tail unraveled and suspended itself, the rest of it soon following until it was stooped a few feet away. Wil gulped and sat down, leaning her back against the wall behind her.

As usual, the monster's teeth were exposed; most likely as a reminder of the danger she was in. Wil managed to look away from it and take in her surroundings. Surprisingly, the room was light enough that she could make out shapes and details fairly well. Down at the closer end of the room were large brown things like containers. Wil stared and stared, chills trickled up her spine into her ears and eyes and causing her hair to stand and her skin to get goose-bumps.

"Those…look like…giant…eggs," Wil stammered. Her brain was prickling and her heart was racing. She was about to scream when the eggs began moving. Wil's stomach turned and her whole body quavered.

One of the eggs opened.

Something was slithering out.

It had hardly touched the ground before it leaped toward her. Wil screamed with madness until her throat tore. She cowered and tried to protect her face. Suddenly, the alien, which had been sitting contentedly, sprung forward and grabbed the flying fiend by its long tail and hurled back toward the other eggs. It was hurt and it scrambled back into its protective shell.

Wil could feel the retch rising into her mouth, it was hot and sour. Without another thought, she spewed it forth, coughing and crying. She sputtered and took a shaky deep breath and gazed up at the monster, her captor and protector. Both brutal and gentle. Gruesome and somehow…beautiful, with a delicate inhuman grace.

She stood up and gradually walked toward it. It recoiled subtly and gave a short hiss. Wil did not stop with her approach. She was no longer afraid to stand by it. As she came closer, she stretched out her hand to it. It hissed again in earnest. Wil's fingers shrank back for a second, but she continued to move. Her hand was centimeters from its face, its teeth, and its tongue slinked out toward it. She bit her lip and softly pressed her fingers against it. It was hot and slick, nearly too hot to touch.

Without warning, the alien's tongue zipped back into mouth and it stood to its full height and pulled Wil behind it and pushed her against the wall where it had been resting. It screeched and hissed and crouched, its tail pointed rigidly in a slight curve toward the opposite side of the room.

"What's hap…pen…ing..?" Wil's eyes widened in sheer panic. Dozens of languid forms dripped from the wall and made a formation before the creature and Wil. They were not exactly the same as the one that had, for some bizarre reason, become Wil's bodyguard. They were slightly smaller. Some of them were black with hints of reddish-bronze, some of them were a paler grayish black, whereas the beast that saved Wil's life, 3 times, was jet black with miniscule tints of midnight blue.

The other monsters seemed subordinate to this larger one, even though it was only one against a group. They were hissing and seething and eager to get to Wil. However, the bigger one swished its tail, kind of like a metronome, and emitted much more guttural hisses, letting its tongue slip out every so often.

One beast, a more bronzed one, fidgeted and sprang forward, running toward them. Both Wil and the creature screamed. The protecting alien stood and whipped its tail, thrashing the opposing one and sending it back into the irritated crowd. They were clearly confused by this and edged a few steps forward as a group. The solitary being stood to full height, its arms craned toward them. Its tail pressed into Wil's ribcage, trying to move her in the direction of the large hall Wil had eyed earlier. The alien mass moved with them, never once passing through the invisible barrier that had been created.

But biding their time until they could.

Once Wil was in a clear shot of the exit, the alien shoved her with its tail, pushing it away from her. A paler one came a bit forward and the protecting one shrieked with so much authority that the ones standing in the front of the group cowered and bowed, backing themselves, and subsequently those behind them, away several feet.

Wil took the opportunity to take a few steps back herself. The alien glanced over its shoulder at her and she understood: run like hell.

After a few sloppy steps back, Wil clenched her fists, set her jaw, inhaled deeply, turned and ran like her life depended on it.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked it. I think there'll only be one final chapter. (I'll try to get it all in!) But this definitely won't be an end to my Aliens fanfics, just this story.

Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

God save the Queen—Chapter 5

I **do** **not** own the Aliens.

A tremendous thanks to my amazing and sexy reviewers; Liasonfan2, ProjectGun, Mark, Jack Ishi, ladyphan17, Peya Luna, and justifiedlover!! Hurrah! You guys and gals are great!!

Special thanks to LucifersCousin for adding my story as a favorite!! squeal -sorry about the lack of yaoi-ness.-

I decided to have two more chapters, (this one, another, and an epilogue) because this one was getting long and I didn't want to rush it.

Wil and the Xeno are getting freaky in the last chapter, sorry to those who _really_ want to read it! Good things come to those who wait, though!

_(Rated _**M**_ for violence, language, and sexual content.)_

* * *

Wil had no idea where she was going. She ran up hills, down corridors, in spiraling tunnels. She was hoping that, if she stayed in the same relative bearing, she might find her way to an exit. To Adam. Adam. Wil was crying again, from fear, but mostly longing. Longing for all the things she did not realize that she wanted, needed…craved like a drug. Adam. His eyes, smile.

Maybe even his…naked body. Intertwined with hers.

That was a first for her.

Wil's breathing was ragged and causing chest pain. Her legs were past soreness and entering into a lack of sensation. Finally, as Wil was entering hyperventilation, she collided with something.

Something too soft to be an alien.

She rolled onto her side and scrambled to her feet, dizzy and horrified.

"Wil?" the voice was surprised.

It was also not Adam's.

"Lydekker?!" Wil rushed to him and hugged him, crying and speaking incoherently. He returned the embrace lightly with one hand. She did not notice the large Pulse Rifle in his other.

"Calm down, I can't understand what ya sayin'," Lydekker said, confused.

"Where's the way out? I've got to get to Adam. What happened out there? We've got to get off of this planet! There are monsters everywhere," Wil's voice was panicked but she managed to speak clearly enough that Lydekker understood.

"Wil, did you say, 'monsters'? How'd you surv—" Lydekker licked his lips nervously and glanced about himself, raising the gun in the direction Wil had come from.

"How'd you get away from those men?" Wil asked, hiccupping slightly due the tears and lack of breath. Lydekker stiffened. Only his eyes darted to look at her. He said nothing."Well, aren't they…bad guys. Raiders?" Wil was feeling uneasy now. Lydekker appeared extremely uncomfortable. He gradually turned to face her, lowering the rifle.

"Raiders? No. It was the Supplier." Lydekker was still tense.

"Well, why didn't Hardegan mention they were coming? And…" Wil's color drained. "Did he…know about the…monsters?" Lydekker's jaw clenched and his eyes were wide and shifty. Wil was shaking her head slowly as realization dawned on her. She was raising her hands to cover her gaping mouth.

"Wil-"

"They…the aliens…are the _treasure_ we're searching for aren't they?!" Wil's voice was hollowed with dread. Lydekker said nothing, but his eyes squinted. Wil could feel rage escalating up from her gut and wanting to explode from her mouth like a torrent. She threw herself at him, hitting him in the chest and slapping his face.

"You don't understand how valuable they are!" he grunted between blows.

"WHY?! WHY DID HE DO THIS TO US? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANY OF US ABOUT THE DANGER?! HOW COULD YOU?!" Lydekker dropped his gun and struck Wil hard against the left side of her face, so hard that she stumbled and nearly toppled over. He caught her wrist and shoved her into the wall brutally. He pinned her wrists above her head and pressed his body into hers as hard as he could; so hard she had trouble breathing.

"Y'know, I've always had a bit of a thing for ya, Wil!" Lydekker sneered, holding both wrists with one hand as he pulled open her coat and jerked her shirt and bra over her chest. His free hand grouped her breasts roughly and he kissed and bit every bare inch of her pale-rose flesh.

Wil was disoriented from the hit. Her nose was starting to bleed. Her head lolled as she tried to become aware of what was happening to her.

"Leilani mighta been willin', but she was so loud and annoyin'. Not like you, Wil. You seem like you would really let a man be a man and just take whateva he had for ya!" Lydekker reached down and struggled to undo his belt and pants with one hand. After he was successful, he reached for her pants, which had a button-fly, making it much more difficult to unfasten.

Wil's eyes flickered open as she realized what he was doing.

"No…" She tried to shift her hips away from him. "No!" He wrapped his hand around her throat and pressed himself against her again.

"Relax. It's not like yer gonna live very long anyway. Hardegan ain't lettin' you back on the ship without one of them things on yer pretty little face," he whispered the end menacingly and licked her lips. He moved his hand down to her pants again, they were halfway unbuttoned now.

"Please, _please_ I can't…" She caught a glimpse of his penis. Erect and pinkish-purple. She began trembling. She would not let this happen, could not let it happen again. She would rather die.

She would rather be dead at the hands of Hardegan's 'treasure'.

Lydekker tugged on her pants, but her hips kept him from doing it well. He pulled away from her slightly, still holding her arms, and violently wrenched her pants down low enough for penetration. Wil was running out of time. He reached for the waistband of her panties, a sadistically hungry look on his face. Suddenly, Wil slid her legs over Lydekker's torso and clamped his penis between her knees as tightly as she could. He roared and dropped her instantly.

"You…bitch!" he groaned as she dazedly stood and trotted back the way she came, putting her clothes back into place. Stupidly, Wil left the gun behind.

After a few seconds, she broke out into a run, needing a place to hide, not wanting to make any noise that may lead him back to her. She hoped that Lydekker knew about her claustrophobia so she could use it to her advantage. She raced down a small tunnel, one that had her bent over, and hid behind a resin-coated rock. There was a small, dark crevice inside and she had to knell and duck in order to fit into it.

The gloom was pressing upon her to the extent of crushing the air out of her lungs. She put her head between her knees and took short, deep, breaths. Wil stared blankly at the dark ground as hot tears pooled between her feet. Specters clung to the edges of her mind, trying to force themselves into her eyes. Unwanted but never truly forgotten and recently stimulated memories attempted to regain the power to control her again. She had to distract herself before it was too late and she became paralyzed with her demons.

Adam. Adam was the best way to regain mental temperance. Thinking of him was a double-edged sword through her heart however. It was difficult to _remember_ him without wondering what was happening to him _now_. She sobbed out loud and bit her lip firmly to silence herself. Out of nowhere, a knot formed in her mind about another friend.

What had happened to the alien that had put itself between her and its own kind?

A pang of guilt flashed through her. She should have been more grateful. It went against instinct and kept her alive. Even from its own species. Wil's tears continued in a renewed flow at the thought of that creature dying because of her.

Now what would she imagine to divert herself?

Hardegan, and Lydekker. They were in on the scam. _They_ _sent_ the three of them inside. _They_ _knew_ about the things in this mountain. _They_ _planned_ on the three of them dying in here.

Too bad _they_ did _not_ know that Wil had a friend on the 'inside'.

_If_ she still had a friend.

She pressed her lips together to keep from weeping audibly. When she closed her eyes to shut out the tears, the specters flooded her consciousness. She redirected the memories on a different course. What if Lydekker _had_ taken her clothes off, what would he have made of the scars? Would he have pitied her? Would he have been repulsed or made more eager to leave his own mark on her body? Wil considered the scars herself now too. If Adam had wanted to see her nude, or just happened to catch a glance while they attempted to make love someday, what would he think?

She shuddered as she concentrated on each shiny pink line. The ones on her back from being pinned to broken glass, the ones on her inner-thighs and labia, looking as if she had taken a cat-tail whip between her legs. She knew that Adam would only worry about the torture she must have endured, and not the ugliness of the cut and burn scars that dotted her torso.

Her eyes opened again, the thought comforted her enough to bring some stirring back to her body. Lydekker came back to her mind and she wondered how long she could stay hidden like this…how long _should_ she? If she ran into Lydekker again he would surely subdue her and hopefully just kill her. But she knew his type, and if she saw him again, she would be ferociously raped and left for the aliens, beaten and begging for death.

But her desire to save Adam was much more powerful than her desire for safety.

Wil moved a fraction toward the dim light, toward the opening, and stopped dead when she saw a dark shadow engulf the space between her and freedom. A face peeked around the corner. It was not Lydekker or any other human face. It hissed gently and reached an arm in to grab her.

"No!" she shouted, backing away as far as she could, which was not very far. It held its hand still for a moment, then moved itself closer to her. She screamed again, trying to swat its arm away as it secured its hand around her wrist and began to drag her. She might as well have been lying still for all the good her struggles did against this thing. As she pressed her hand on its chest, she caught sight of the creature's face. Black, with hints of midnight blue.

"You? My…friend?" Wil was hesitant to use the word. The creature released her wrist and gave a soft, consenting hiss. Wil was on the brink of another fainting spell. She smiled weakly and it clasped her shoulders, smoothly lifting her up and leading her into the hall. As she gazed at him appreciatively, she noticed three thin scars marring its polished dome, a drop of green blood clung to the lowest gash. Wil reached up to wipe the drop away, but the alien screeched and backed up.

"I'm sorry! Does it hurt?" she asked, momentarily puzzled and terrified. It motioned for her to come closer. With only meager hesitation, she obeyed, standing beside it. It took the drop on its finger and 

wiped it on a bare piece of rock. Steam murmured from the surface of it. Wil's eyes widened in astonishment. "You have acid…for blood?" It gave the tiny nod again and Wil shook, thinking of how close she came to touching the droplet herself.

The creature suddenly turned and swooped downward, Wil huddled behind it.

"What's happening?" It pushed her back into the darkness and melded with the wall across from her. Wil's heart thundered in her ears as she waited alone. A minute passed, but the adrenaline in Wil's system continued to gush rapidly through her veins, making her hyper-aware. While she considered the possibilities of why the alien was hiding, a familiar face stepped passed her secret location, Pulse Rifle level with his eyes.

She could not help but gasp.

Lydekker quickly turned and pointed the gun at her. She clapped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. He knew she was there.

"Ova here! This one's still alive," he said with a wicked grin. Wil was discouraged to know he was not alone. "Come out now, poppet, Arman's got plans for you!" Unwillingly, Wil took a step toward him, out of the dark. On her left, less than 10 feet from her were three more men in a V-formation, slowly stalking toward them.

"Lydekker, it doesn't have to end this way. You could defy Hardegan, he doesn't own you."

"Pff! I ain't listening to that fool! I'm takin' orders from Dr. Arman, the Supplier. And he's gonna supply me with wealth, women, and power!"

"You can't honestly believe that something _this_ significant could ever be shared with…with criminals like us?" Wil was not pleading, only stalling. Lydekker's expression altered, but he still used his gun to beckon her forward. She took a few more steps and Lydekker moved to her side and slipped his hand under her arm. The other men were there too, faces stock still, like soldiers.

"It's okay with Arman if she's a bit banged up, right? As long as she's still alive?" Lydekker asked the men. They lifted their heads, considering the option. The one in the front of the V nodded and took a step toward her. "Me first!" Lydekker yelled. "It's been a long time since I plowed a virgin!" The man stepped back and Wil watched in horror as they all cracked smiles. Lydekker spun Wil sharply to face him.

"You'll never get away with this," Wil said, determined not to be afraid. It was not as if this had never happened to her before.

"And _you'll_ never get away!" Lydekker cackled. The others laughed as well. Wil gazed furiously at them. Slowly, mockingly, Lydekker set down his gun and pulled a knife out of his boot. He pressed the cool metal into her face and walked around her, as if deciding how to begin. He stood in front of her again, smirking, and quickly slashed the knife across her chest from shoulder to sternum. She winced and clutched the wound. Blood trickled down swiftly and stained her powder-blue shirt. Lydekker 'mmm'ed at the sight of her pain. He gritted his teeth and moved forward.

An unexpected sound radiated through the tunnel. A subtle, breathy sound. The men looked in every direction deliberately. The three raised their guns in uniform precision. Lydekker turned back and forth, brandishing the knife. The sound repeated, louder this time.

Or closer.

In an instant, Lydekker was gone, an unseen force hand taken him upward to the dark ceiling. The three men moved backward, never breaking formation. Lydekker's knife dropped to the floor. After a few seconds, Lydekker fell also. His shoulder held a gaping would.

He was alive. Just a little banged up.

The men stopped and aimed high. They must have hoped that the mysterious attacker would take Wil next, then they could open fire. An earsplitting shriek reverberated throughout the small passageway. The men flinched. The beast lowered itself gracefully to the ground before Wil and, once again, pushed her into the small place where she had hidden from Lydekker.

Chaos ensued shortly thereafter.

The soldiers, opened fire on the alien.

"NO!" Wil screamed.

The alien leaped to the left wall then the right, aptly dodging the frightened men's bullets. After a scornful hiss, the alien jumped down at the men, knocking two down with its hands, pinning them to the floor with their own guns, and hit the other with its tail. The one that had been hit with the tail, the leader, stood quickly, glancing around for his rifle. But it was too late. The alien's sharp tail stabbed the man through his chest and out of his back. Wil stared at the man, blood spurted from the wound and she could see his cracked vertebrae; the tail had gone directly through his spine.

Like a ragdoll, the alien tossed the man off of its tail. He landed with a squishy thud in front of Wil. She held her nose to keep from gagging. The man under the alien's right hand was unconscious; however, the man under its left hand was not. The alien moved its hand and closed it around the man's neck and lifted him so high off of the ground that his feet hung in midair. The alien's other hand ripped the rifle from the soldier. He was struggling to scream and making a futile effort to use his arms and legs to inflict damage on the solid beast.

Wil was absolutely mesmerized. The alien had no fear.

It pulled the man close to its face and hissed, dangerously quiet, and opened its jaws wide. Before Wil could comprehend what was coming, the alien's tongue shot out fast as a bullet, and pierced through the man's head. The dead man hung limply and the alien dropped him without concern. It turned to face Wil, blood clinging to its jaw. Wil staggered over to him, hands outstretched and shaking.

"Are you…alright?" The alien just stared down at her, breathing heavily. For a split second, she was worried that it had enjoyed the taste of human blood too much and was considering… Wil shook her head and drew her arms close to her chest to keep them from trembling. The alien moved toward her and picked her up, holding her against its chest with one arm, and swiftly climbed up into a passageway on the ceiling.

Wil had no desire to resist it.

* * *

Somehow, Wil managed to fall asleep. She awoke in a large chamber, lightly coated with sweat, not her own, but the alien's. This cavern was enormous. She could not see the ceiling or the ends of the walls in either direction, only the wall behind her, and the floor.

It was littered with eggs.

Wil stood rigidly, her arms clamped to her sides. She gazed around the room, hoping her friend was nearby.

She was alone.

Alone in a nest full of eggs.

She took a deep breath slowly.

After summoning all of her courage, she moved one step forward.

Nothing happened.

No eggs opened, no monsters attacked. But Wil was not dumb enough to let her guard down. She took a few more steps, stopping every third step or so to listen to the room.

No noises came back to her.

In spite of being, apparently safe, Wil was becoming more nervous by the second. She could feel other beings all around her, and the stark stillness was only adding to her uncertainties.

But she kept moving forward.

The heat, which was dry, was making her aware of how thirsty she was. She was almost faint with thirst. Now that she had rested and was not exactly on 'Red Alert', she could feel every ache and spasm of her body. Everything hurt and, despite the nap, she was tired. Not sleepy, but tired most likely due to low blood sugar. She stumbled and fell on her hands and knees. Her breathing was labored and her head was starting to pound.

A squishing, wet sound made Wil hold her breath. Her head slowly turned to the right and she stared in terror. A long, big, organic tube was forcing something out of it. The tube moved away and a slimy, steaming egg was suddenly there. Wil's mouth opened to scream, but she could not find the coherence to gather herself enough to do it. She began backing away, still on all fours, staring at the hose that had moved to lay another egg.

Something blocked Wil's path behind her, but she kept trying to move. Strong hands draped themselves around her waist. Wil yelped and her appendages dropped out from under her, but she was suspended by the hands holding her firmly but gently. She looked up quickly. It was there, the three scars barely visible.

"Oh," she mumbled weakly. It lifted her up and set her on her feet. After a small hiss, it began moving forward, guiding her to walk with him. "I…"She gulped. They were getting closer to the source of the egg-laying. _"I guess if it wanted me dead, I'd be dead by now." _Wil had to believe that, to keep from curling up into a sniveling ball at the creature's feet.

They walked, the egg-laying hose continuing uninterrupted 8 feet to Wil's right. She could feel the heat radiating from it, because it was moist compared to the rest of the cave. As horrified as she was by it, she could not look away. Not just from the fear, part of her was curious. Most people who had encountered these creature's (if any had, Wil was not sure) probably did not make it this far, live this long, see so much.

Wil's wonder died as she watched as the egg-laying tube as it gradually increased in size, becoming a very large sac, suspended (most likely) by the same resinous membrane that coated the walls. Wil was breathing loud and deep through her open mouth as her brain became fuzzy. A huge dark shadow was perched on top of the egg sac. Wil craned her neck back so far that the top of her head was touching the alien's chest. Her entire body began to shake uncontrollably. The alien moved its hands to her shoulders to steady her, but that just made her more aware of how her insides jellied.

The shadow was black as pitch, gleaming in the feeble light that seemed to come from nowhere. Wil's eyes roamed randomly around this largest of aliens, the barbs on its back extended at least 6 feet and the legs were decidedly feminine, the feet were shaped like heeled shoes. The head was less phallic than the others she had seen. It was broader, flatter, and the end jutted out almost crown-like behind it, the edges looked sharp. It had 4 arms, but Wil could not see a face, no teeth to greet her.

Without warning, as if responding to Wil's thought, the arms unfolded and a face, more frightening than any of the others she had seen, slid out of the giant 'crown'. Wil's chest tightened and she drew back as far as she could. Its jaws were wide and angular, the teeth almost a grin. A throaty, baritone hiss emanated from the creature. It seemed to reverberate throughout the entire chasm. Ice daggers shot up Wil's spine and into her brain. She could not blink let alone breathe. She felt the alien behind her glide to the ground; it was kneeling…sort of. Wil glanced to the left and right, more aliens, large and hinted with midnight blue like her friend, clung to the cavern walls, their jaws opened menacingly.

Without a thought, Wil threw herself to the ground and bowed her head in deepest submission and respect to the huge alien.

"_Like ants or bees," _Wil was reasoning. _"There are workers and drones and…protectors for the Mother, the Queen. She is in charge of everything…" _Wil's speculations hit a wall. Why would this being, if it was trying to keep her safe, bring her to the Queen? If all the other aliens had been intent on killing her, and all drones obeyed the Queen… The daggers twisted in Wil's skull. Only one thought was drifting through her mind now.

"_Maybe…the Queen is…hungry..?" _

Wil peeked up at the Queen who appeared to be watching her, its head slightly cocked to the side in, consideration, maybe. Wil grabbed her mouth and stomach to keep from vomiting. She was crying, despite her dehydration. The alien beside her moved to look in her direction, it seemed puzzled, or maybe Wil had anthropomorphized this beast from the beginning, since it had 'saved' her from the pit. Maybe she was wrong, maybe it was not, had never been, her friend. Wil choked against her realization. Why did she feel so betrayed? She had been such a fool, such a weakling to trust something she had seen kill people right before her very eyes!

"God, help me…" she managed to squeak before collapsing. She had not fainted, she had just given up. She was in the nest, the heart of the nest where the Queen was watching her. There was no escape. "Adam…I'm sorry," she whispered into the ground, praying that she would fall into unconsciousness.

Something hard and sharp pressed against Wil's exposed cheek. She grimaced, but did not open her eyes. Familiar arms wrapped around her and lifted her easily from the ground. Wil shut her eyes tighter and braced for pain. A bite or a tear, or even one of the spider things to clamp onto her face.

She was aware of the alien moving. Wil was curious enough to open her eyes a crack. The Queen made a gesture toward Wil and the alien. She looked about her, other 'protector' aliens moved away, disappearing into the darkness or blending into the walls. An exit became clear in the path the alien was taking. Wil turned her stunned face back to the Queen, its grin was practically a smile, and it seemed to convey…gratitude?

Now Wil felt dizzy, and guilty for doubting her companion. She held him a little closer to her body as she watched the Queen. Wil offered a bemused smile before the alien turned a corner and the Queen was gone.

* * *

Wil was contemplative as the alien sprinted through dark tunnels. It cradled her with both arms, even when the road was steep, it used its tail to climb rather than move its arms from her. Wil's head relaxed against the warm and damp boney chest of the alien, marveling at the encounter that should have meant her death.

Had the Queen spared Wil because she had saved this creature's life?

Wil remembered the way the alien had defended her, from the other aliens, and the way it had sought her out and avenged her for Lydekker. Why? It had repaid its debt a hundred times over. Wil was not worth this beast's troubles. Wil inhaled dejectedly. Confusion swept in her mind, tangling with other thoughts and concerns. For the first time since Fourth War, Wil detested her inquisitive nature. She closed her eyes, ready to sleep in alien arms.

She was stirred by the scent of dust. She leaned her head back, keeping her eyes closed and was startled by a cool breeze teasing her face. She gasped after opening her eyes.

The alien stood still as Wil dropped lightly to the ground. They were standing inside a small cave, it was obscured by rocks, but Wil could tell that the entrance came from up from the ground, as her eyes were almost level with the dirt.

"How…where is this?" she asked, even though she knew the alien could not answer. It swiftly moved to the mouth and Wil clambered after it. She gasped and covered her mouth quickly. She could see the campsite and the mountain, nearly 100 feet away, but easy to see because of the lights reflecting off of semi-crashed ship. "Oh…oh!" Wil felt weak with delirium. She was so close to Adam, but still so far it was palpable. She turned to face the alien, it was staring ahead and its whole body was tense.

Wil nearly drown in appreciation. She rushed forward and hugged the alien around its waist, not even the least bit afraid. It was unresponsive at first, uncertain. Gradually it wrapped its arms around Wil, mimicking her movements.

"Thank-you…thank-you for everything!" She leaned away and gave it a quick peck on its sternum, since that was all she could reach. It gazed down at her and she grinned widely. Then she turned and scrambled out of the hole carefully jogging toward the camp.

Wil tumbled behind a large rock. She pressed against it and peered around the bottom left side. Stealth was not exactly a strong-point with Wil, but she was probably the most apt crewman on the _Kee_ other that Hara and Lydekker. But Wil remembered that she was dealing with soldiers. Men trained for stealth, men bent on taking the aliens as their prize.

If she could just get to Adam, make sure he was safe, than she could sabotage the whole mission. Wil dashed forward a few paces and hid behind a larger rock. She counted to 10 in her mind. Calmness. She needed a clear head. Wil traced back to her old memories for answers, the strength she had forged in herself then. She had to tap into that resource. But how? What could she do?

Adam had to be her first priority.

She moved in a circular motion, staying well outside the perimeter of the campsite. If only she still had her Power Loader! Wil ran all the way around and stopped at the back-end of the Suppliers ship. Most of it was pinned by fallen boulders, but there was enough room for Wil's body to move around them. She crept and climbed and ducked and darted, making sure not to disturb the rocks. She made it to theengines and crawled inside the large exhaust pipe. It was cold, which was good for her. She tip-toed until she saw a square engraving below her. It gave her access to the engine systems, but not the engines themselves.

It was good enough.

She reached into her shoe and pulled out a small tool. It was slender and pliable, looking like a thick silver wire. She smoothly slid it into the edge of the crack and pried the lid open, exposing myriad circuits. Wil deftly rearranged several lines of thin cable and dropped the lid back down. Quickly she exited and climbed back down the rocks.

Wil was behind the _Cygnus_, which was unguarded, and observed. There were only 10 visible soldiers. Many scientists were setting up computers and strange tanks. Wil noticed some mechanics lounging around the broken ship, eating. But where was Adam? Suddenly everyone turned and looked toward the mountain. Wil hunched down, but was still peeking. Two tired soldiers and a scientist were pushing what looked like hovering cryo-tubes. Wil lifted her head slightly; she could just make out the silhouettes. She recognized the clothes and the skin color, but their faces were masked by spider-like creatures attached them.

"Leilani…Jaeden..?" Wil grit her teeth in order to stay silent. She could barely see through her tears as the men took the cryo-tubes into the fallen ship. Wil steadied herself. It was a terrible thing, but she could not help them now. Weeping for them would not save anyone.

Deep inside, she knew they were already dead.

As some of the soldiers moved toward the mechanics to eat with them, Wil scuttled over to some nearby crates, hoping to find a weapon there. Gingerly she opened the lid to a low crate. Not much inside but repair tools. As Wil contemplated a laser-drill being used as a weapon, the sound of footsteps made her drop the lid. She scooted back as far as she could, partially hidden by crates and shadow. She pulled her knees against her chest and held her breath as the sound of two voices grew closer.

"…so important anyway?"

"Who cares? I live for the hunt. You sure you left the beacon over here?"

"Yeah, between the cryo-fuel crates." Wil turned her head to the left. She could see the beacon they referred too. It was very close to her left arm. The man reached his arm in between the tall crates and blindly groped for the device. Wil remained stationary.

It would have been so easy to stay hidden.

Wil was not sure how to proceed now anyway.

Everything happens for a reason, so they say.

But Wil still was angry that things often went wrong.

The man's fumbling fingers brushed against the beacon, but as he tried to grab it, he accidentally knocked it off balance. In slow motion, the beacon tipped over. Wil was just too slow, weak and pathetic from her hours underground. The head of the beacon landed against Wil's arm, or rather her wrist, and pressed into the face of Wil's tracker-watch; the contact causing it to chirp to life. It beeped as it indicated the location of the humans around her.

"The hell is that?!" the groping man shouted. Two soldiers and a mechanic, all with guns, raced around the crates and aimed low. Wil sat there, blocking her face protectively, her amber eyes bright with shock.

"A survivor?" said the mechanic.

"It's one of Hardegan's crewmen, the machinist!" said a soldier. Wil's heart was pumping madly, causing her chest wound to throb and bleed. The soldier who had wanted the beacon came around the crates, holding restraints.

"C'mon, babe, don't make this difficult. You being here actually gives _us_ a break," he said with a snort. The three aimed their guns to her face and she waited. The fourth man came around and cuffed her arms behind her back, then cuffed her ankles together. "Let's see if the captain would like to have a word!" The man took Wil and tossed her over his shoulder. Normally, Wil would have struggled, but maybe this was the quickest way to see Adam.

She kept a fearful look on her face, but inside was calculating all of the ways she and Adam could get away for good.

* * *

Chapter six will have crazy action and xeno love! By the end of the week no doubt. I woulda had this up yesterday but it was my birthday and I was out.

I hope you enjoy me making the story longer! It does give me the chance to make it good!

Much love,

Dawo.


	6. Chapter 6

God save the Queen—chapter 6

I **do not** own the Aliens.

Special thanks to my reviewers! Raptor-Chick, Lara-Ruin, Amp, Justifiedlover, Peya Luna, ProjectGun, Jack Ishi, Mark, ladyphan17, and Liasonfan2! And special thanks to all those who added me to their alerts!!

I'm sorry you all had to wait so long!! My grans had heart surgery and then my keyboard broke!! But I'm back in business now! (I will finish this story before school work drags me away!)

_**(Rated **_**M**_** for violence, language, and the graphic xeno/female action I promised!)**_

If you have questions, message more or out it in the review. Enjoy!

* * *

The man carried Wil into the tent where she had rested so many hours ago, but the cot and crates were gone. Instead there was a desk and computer.

Hardegan sat behind the desk.

They man dropped Wil ungracefully onto the dirt floor. She landed on her side and, because of the restraints, was unable to sit up very well.

"She's all yours," said the man with smirk. Hardegan stared at Wil, a mixture of astonishment and rage playing across his features. "Should I call Arman?"

"No," Hardegan practically shouted. "Just get somebody to clean her up. I'll call him when I'm through with her." The man gave a slow nod and left. Hardegan continued to watch Wil. She struggled and managed to roll onto her knees. She was breathing hard with the effort and was sore and weary.

But her fatigue did not keep the malice from her eyes.

"You are…a walking miracle, Wil." Hardegan stood and moved closer to her. "You were inside the mountain for nearly twelve hours. You managed to come out alive. How? How could you have possibly survived?" He ducked and grabbed the sides of Wil's head; his face was inches from hers. "What did you see?" Wil tried to move her head out of his steel grip. The cut from the avalanche tore open again and she cried out in pain.

She glared at Hardegan. So many questions circled through Wil's mind. Anger swelled her insides. She spat in his face to hide the tears from him. He let go of her and wiped his face with the back of his hand. Her action seemed to calm him.

"Did you see them?" His question hung in the air like a threat. Wil glared at his profile for a long time. His eyes were foggy, as if he was off in another world.

"Yes," Wil answered with barely any voice. She felt as if she had given up a great secret. Disloyalty flowed through her, as if she had handed her alien protector directly to Hardegan. If only she had said nothing. Hardegan turned and met her gaze. There was something swimming behind his eyes, something she had never seen before.

Damn her curiosity.

"How…did you find out about…them?" Wil did not really care about Hardegan or his past; she wanted to know about _them. _Hardegan sighed and stood, pulling her to her feet. Because of her ankles, she could not stand, so he dragged her to his desk and pushed her against it. She sat up and gaped as he began to unbutton his shirt. "Stop!" Wil looked away when he did not respond. He forced her to face him. She glanced down at his exposed chest, matted with ugly scars. Even compared with her own scarring, they were ugly…inhuman. Wil looked at his face, his eyes were somewhere else. He held on to her collar loosely as he stared into space.

"I was a Mercenary," he began, his voice gruff and quiet. "Me and my unit were…commissioned by the Company to evacuate a medical outpost on the outer rim. We didn't know what they were testing at the time. The Company rep told us that there had been some problem with the power generators and the crew needed an escort back to Earth." Hardegan took a deep breath and walked away from Wil.

"When we got there, no one was around, except one woman, Dr. Livia Sanchez. She had ruptured a cooling tank and drowned part of the facility with liquid nitro. It cut off her way to a ship, but that kept _it_ from getting to her." Hardegan looked pointedly at Wil, she held her breath. "The place was like a glacier. She had the vents blasting at -25 degrees. She was…babbling. The cold had made her delirious.

"At least we thought it was the cold.

"We had to knock her out to keep her from stopping us from turning the vents off so we could look for survivors." Hardegan absently touched his gnarled chest. "There was only one…creature. It was big. It killed seven Mercs in two days! I finally managed to corner it. I used Sanchez as bait. I shot it and it was too close to us." Hardegan stared into Wil's face. His wild expression made Wil cringe. "Do you know its blood is acidic? I barely got my armor off in time. Sanchez was less than bones by the time I got to her. I had enough time for a distress call before the pain got to me.

"I came to in a prison hospital. The Company had me detained because I saw the Xenomorph. That's what they call them. I was isolated and drugged up. The Company was afraid of what I knew. You see, Wil, the Company isn't all for one. The left hand does things the right hand doesn't know about…can't ever know about. They break their own rules." Hardegan took another deep breath and drew closer to Wil. She was stunned into silence. He smirked at her.

"Dr. Arman found me there three months ago. He's the one who found out about…this place." Hardegan stopped talking. His story was over. He was in front of Wil now, gazing down at her with repressed hunger. Wil was intensely aware of her arms and ankles being bound. She slid farther from him onto the table, sitting on her hands. He leaned over her, placing his hands on either side of her waist. She pulled her legs up to her chest to block Hardegan from her body. He bent over her anyway, using their combined weight to crush her hands.

"You know, Wil, I might be able to…persuade Dr. Arman into letting you come with us, if you _want_ me to." He moved in to kiss her, she turned her head away and her whole body slumped onto its side. Hardegan was breathing against Wil's ear and neck. The sensation made her want to gag. She clenched her jaw when he licked the side of her face.

"Dr. Arman needs to speak with you," came a tight voice. Hardegan froze. Wil closed her eyes and focused on nothing but keeping the sick from rising to her mouth. Hardegan stood straight and turned to face the source of the voice.

"Can't it wait, Adam?" Wil gasped and leaned forward. He was there, half hidden by shadow, carrying a tray of food in one hand and a medi-kit in another.

"No." Adam's voice was dark and serious; Wil had never heard him talk like that before. "You don't want to keep him waiting." Hardegan grunted and abruptly left the tent, nearly knocking the tray out of Adam's hand.

After Hardegan left, there was a moment of stillness. Wil was shaking. Adam was staring at the ground. Wil suddenly scrambled up and hopped onto her feet. She started to fall as she jumped closer to him. He was there in an instant, the tray and kit on the desk, his hands on her shoulders to steady her. They looked into each other's eyes then. Wil's heart caught in her chest. His beautiful brown eyes were full of relief and wonder. Wil's eyes spilled over. Warm sparks fluttered throughout her entire body. She leaned toward him and he hugged her.

"I…I thought you were dead. Oh, Wil, Wil. You're hurt!" Adam pulled away and the two knelt onto the floor. He grabbed the kit and opened it, taking out gauze and sprays. He cleaned and dressed her head wound and the cut on her chest. She held his gaze the entire time. His touch was like lightening on her skin; it jolted her to life and knocked the wind out of her simultaneously. He had a shy smile on his face; he could not quite understand the intensity in her stare.

He set the tray of food on the floor and began to feed Wil. She did not really want to eat, but the rations tasted so good. Wil ravenously devoured the food. Adam started to stand in order to move the tray and medi-kit, but Wil quickly leaned forward, pressing her head against his shoulder.

"Don't go," she whispered. He placed his hands on her back. "Adam, I was so afraid that I'd never see you again. We need to get out of here…" her voice drifted away. Happiness blossomed deep within her. They were together. Nothing else mattered now. She would never leave him again. She slid into his lap, spreading her legs around him as far as she could with her ankles restrained.

"Wil?" Adam was confused, but he held her tighter. It felt right that she was there, like there was no more wrong in the whole universe. No matter what happened, as long as she was beside him, there would be no more problems ever again.

"Adam…" Wil's voice was thick with emotion. She looked into his face and he seemed to understand her. Maybe not consciously, but deep inside the soul he did not believe he had, he already knew everything. "I want to be honest with you, Adam. Time is cruel and brief. I can't waste anymore of it. I…" She gulped a sob and watched Adam's reaction. The innocent confusion was still there, but that new quality was present too, the spark, and Wil hoped she was reading it right. She sat up straighter and pressed her body into his as much as she could, her forehead resting against his.

She wished her arms were not tied behind her back.

"Wil, please. Tell me…the rest. I want to hear more." Adam's voice was throaty and strong and his eyes were dark. Wil's breathing was erratic, so much so she almost could not gather her voice.

"You are the reason I survived, Adam. You are the only reason I want to live." She moved her head back slightly so she could see his expression better. Her entire body was flushing and her jaw trembled.

But her resolve was absolute.

"I. Love. You." She had to emphasize each word in order to keep herself from faltering. Adam was stock still. Wil wanted to look away from him. He was not saying anything, she had made a mistake. How could he love her back? She had given him nothing, nothing compared to what he had given to her. She closed her eyes and started to slide away from him. No regrets about telling Adam the truth, only regretting that he did not return her affection.

Before she had gotten very far, he grabbed her hips. Wil cautiously met his stare. His face was not so blank anymore.

"You…_love_…me?" Adam's voice was strained somehow, as if speaking was a great effort. Wil nodded deliberately. He quickly pulled her into his lap again, holding her almost too tightly against his body. "Why, Wil? Why waste such a beautiful gift on a Synthetic? On an imitation of a man?" he whispered in her ear. The feel of his lips gently brushing her skin was making her dizzy.

"It's not wasted on you! And you are not an imitation. You are the most wonderful _man_ I have ever known! I love you, Adam. I love you, I love you, I love you…" Wil murmured the end against his neck. He pushed her back slightly, his hands on her cheeks, his eyes boring into hers. All of his apprehension was gone. Adam seemed content to gaze into her tear-stained face for all eternity.

But Wil did not have eternity.

She leaned forward infinitesimally; Adam did not seem to notice. Wil hesitated for less than a second, but before she could rationalize anything, she moved in swiftly and planted an awkward kiss on his soft mouth. Adam gasped and leaned back a little. Wil could not do the same. In that one motion, Wil's soul had shifted, as if it wanted to burst right out of her body. She had to kiss him again, and never, ever stop.

She _really_ wished her arms were not tied behind her back.

"Adam," she breathed and moved toward him again. He was as still as a statue. She pressed her lips against his, more delicately this time. It was amazing. Wil was glowing from the inside and the light was falling over her skin like water.

But the kiss was better still when Adam returned it.

His arms slipped around her waist and he gently pulled her into him. His lips parted slightly and he deepened the kiss. Wil followed his movements, but also swept the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip. He straightened up in surprise, then leaned forward a few inches and slid his tongue into her mouth, tenderly caressing hers with it. Wil was flying. It was glorious. Consensual physical interaction with a person you loved. Wil never imagined anything could be so magnificent.

An excited noise between a whimper and a moan escaped from her. Adam sat up again, never breaking the kiss. Wil enjoyed Adam's soft self-control, but as Wil's head cleared of its initial dizziness, a tightness formed in her gut and a sense of urgency played about her body, tickling her brain and making her ache in a way she never knew existed.

Wil gripped Adam's waist with her legs as hard as she could and upped the tempo of their ministrations. She moved her lips roughly against his, darting her tongue in and out, making it dance with his. Adam's hands roamed across her back and into her hair and glided up and down her legs from hip to knee and back again. Wil began rocking forward and backward, unconsciously grinding herself against him.

She struggled against the cuffs, she needed more of him, and even though he was there, the restraints put him out of reach. Adam, either acknowledging Wil's desire for freedom, or desiring it himself, ran his hands down her arms and encircled her wrists, or rather, the cuffs on them. In three short tugs, Adam broke the small chain keeping her wrists bound. Wil immediately flung her arms around him tightly; one hand getting lost in his hair and the other wrapping around his neck.

Adam's hands were on her ribcage, going up and down from waist to shoulder, his thumbs grazing across the sides of her breasts. She moaned sharply again and moved her hands to his shirt, practically ripping the buttons off. Adam broke their momentum and held her hands to stop them. He watched as the passion, so pure and raw, was replaced by confusion and hurt.

"Adam?" Wil's voice was laced with restrained pain. He was still, not really focused on her anymore. She could feel tears forming behind her eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry if I…moved too quickly for you. I-I don't mean to…pressure you or-" Wil was not exactly sure what to say next. Maybe Adam was not…anatomically correct, or maybe he had no desire for sex and was just trying to make Wil happy by kissing her? Wil was surprised by how disappointed she was about the fact that Adam might be incapable of intercourse.

"Pretend I didn't break your handcuffs," Adam suddenly whispered and stood up, moving to re-pack the medi-kit. Wil put her hands behind her back in confusion, still flushed and brooding over her and Adam's previous position. Hardegan and a soldier entered the tent just then. Wil realized with relief that Adam only stopped because he had heard the men coming. The soldier looked around the room, boredom evident on his face. Hardegan was glancing back and forth between Wil and Adam; taking in her heavy breathing, pink swollen lips, and slightly ruffled appearance. He scowled. He had always known that Wil and Adam had some sort of bizarre connection.

He would be changing that soon enough.

"Status," Hardegan barked. Adam turned stiffly, looking very calm and un-ruffled.

"She's fatigued, otherwise in perfect health."

"Good," Hardegan replied in a voice that told Wil that it was _not_ good. He swooped down and yanked Wil to her feet. She had to clamp her hands together in order to keep Hardegan from pulling her arms apart. She teetered, the ankle restraints and post-kiss dizziness flooding her brain with white light. "Douglas, untie her legs."

The soldier, Douglas, bent down, indecently running his hand down the inside of Wil's leg and retrieved a small set of keys from his belt. He kept one hand above her knee while he unhooked the cuffs from her ankles. She spread her legs apart in order to balance herself, but the movement also caused (somehow) Douglas' hand to inch up her thigh.

Wil was getting very tired of this.

Feeling a hard starkness grip her stomach, Wil brought her knee up with fantastic speed and smashed it against Douglas' face. She clenched her teeth when she heard a small 'crack'. He fell backwards, his nose streaming blood, his expression livid. A small chuckle escaped Adam's lips. Hardegan seemed torn between yelling at Wil and yelling at Douglas.

"Get to the ship and clean yourself up," Hardegan sighed. The angry soldier glowered at Wil but scrambled out of the tent. Hardegan pulled Wil closer to him. "Try that again and the Syntho gets it." Wil should have been afraid, deep down she was, but in the foreground of her mind she was frustrated. The reality of how dire the situation was began fueling her sorrowful rage rather than sapping her strength.

She did not approve of people threatening Adam.

Wil glared at Hardegan, but made sure he saw some fear and acquiescence in her eyes. She would do everything in her power to protect Adam. Hardegan smirked, thinking he had the upper-hand with her.

"Someone would like to have a word," Hardegan hissed and pulled her out of the tent. Adam followed close behind. Wil was afraid of Arman, but she was also furious. She was breathing hard to steady herself. Hardegan laughed, assuming she was terrified. Wil's entire focus was Adam. Being with him, knowing he was alright, remembering the way he felt in her arms, all of those things erased the desperation she had felt in the caves. The helplessness was almost gone. Wil reverted to battle-mode, the calculating mind-set Wil always settled into during times of crisis.

But she did not go as far as possible, there had to be a limit.

Hardegan led Wil to a large, luxurious looking tent. Without warning, he shoved Wil inside, neither he nor Adam followed. She stumbled slightly and allowed herself to fall to her knees, playing up her weakness in order to fool anyone who was inside the tent. After taking a deep breath, Wil slowly moved her gaze throughout the room.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Inside the tent, at the far end away from Wil, was an examination table. A man with short white hair and wrinkled tan skin stood over the table. He was wearing medical gloves and a mask. There was blood dripping from the table and pooling on the ground. The man noticed Wil and sighed. He took off his gloves and mask and moved over to a make-shift sink and washed his hands.

"I couldn't save him," he said, his back still facing Wil. "He killed himself, you see. Blew his brains out." The man turned to Wil, her face was a grimace. He smiled kindly. "You see, he had been taken as a host," Wil's eyes widened "but poor Lieutenant Fuentes just didn't understand the honor bestowed upon him." The man sighed again and moved around the table, picking something up from it and cradling it to his chest. Wil backed away slightly, thinking he had picked up a scalpel or something similar. Fluidly, the man knelt about 3 feet from Wil and slowly opened his arms. Wil shuddered and screamed at what she saw:

A small and pale, phallic-shaped creature that resembled a very little version of her alien friend. The man pulled his arms back at the sound of her scream, as if it would hurt the little mass.

"You see, if the host dies before the embryo can reach maturity, it dies as well. Poor thing." This man was not the least bit concerned about losing Lieutenant Fuentes, only losing a live alien specimen. "However, it's not a total loss, there is still much to learn from this corpse, and luckily I have collected a few living specimen's…" His voice trailed off as he considered the possibilities. Wil shook with fear and rage; she could feel the volcano threatening to erupt.

"You mean Jaeden and Leilani, with those…parasites on their faces?" The man looked at Wil, as if seeing her for the first time. He stood swiftly and placed the dead alien infant inside a silver cylinder. Steam hissed from it and Wil knew it was a small cryo-chamber.

"And you, Miss Arlette, do you have one inside of you too?" he asked and turned, a glint of a smile on his face and a rather large looking scalpel suddenly in his left hand. Wil shrank back and opened her mouth, but he was not waiting for a response. "Tell me, what would you prefer," he began, twiddling the knife between his lightly bloodied hands "for me to **cut** the Xenomorph from your chest, or to wait for it break though your bones and burst out of you in a semblance of giving birth?" His face was maniacal as he watched Wil blush and stutter.

"I don't…have one…inside of me…I never saw anything! I don't know what they are, I just want to go home!" Time was running out, might as well satisfy this man's sadistic need to induce fear. His face fell somewhat and Wil could see his train of thought changing course. He dropped the knife and turned away from Wil, moving back to the sink to wash his hands again.

"Don't you want to know about how I, or should I say, we discovered them?" he asked in a cheery tone. "Oh bother, where are my manners?" Before Wil could register anything, he dashed over to her and pulled her to her feet. She stood frozen for a second as he wheeled two chairs over to her. He forced a chair behind her and she sat for fear of toppling over. He then dragged a golden cart over to them, presenting her with…tea and cookies. She gasped at the strangeness of this and looked questioningly at the man that sat across from her, using the tray as a table between them. He cleared his throat.

"My name is Rhandi Arman. I am the Vice-President of the Bio-Technological Division of Weyland-Yutani Industries. AKA the 'Company.' And you are Wilona Arlette, Machine Specialist and Technician of the criminal Privateer vessel, _Tseen Kee_. Good to meet you." He poured himself a cup of tea, dropping a lump of sugar and a swirl of cream inside of it. He gave a quick stir and took a swig, draining the cup in seconds. He set the cup down and looked pointedly at Wil.

"Um, how do you do?" Wil responded mechanically. Dr. Arman smiled sweetly and proceeded to pour himself another cup. After drinking half of the liquid, he set to popping a soft looking cookie into his mouth, coating the second with a thick layer of butter before eating it as well. Will watched him, her stomach stirring as she tried to analyze this odd person before her. He dipped a stiff cookie into what was left of his tea and ate it, than drank the rest of the cup. He was obviously waiting for Wil to speak.

Frankly, Wil just wanted to throw-up.

"How did the Company find out…about them?" she asked quietly. He cast her a disdainful look as he poured himself yet another cup.

"I'm sorry, but that _**is**_ classified information, Miss Arlette. You are a criminal, after all. And I can't well reveal Company secrets to a wanted Privateer, now can I?" he laughed a little as if she should have known that. Wil scrunched her face in confusion. Had he not just offered to convey those answers to her a moment ago?

"But, you just said-"

"We've known for a very long time, Miss Arlette. Before even my Grandfather was born. Their colonies are small and wide-spread. We've spent years searching and more years deciphering. We are still so much in the dark." His face was mournful and tired. Wil was stunned. Years_?_ They had been searching for Xenomorph's for _years_? That was hard for her to believe. Why would they desire this species so much? What could they possible contribute to a broken human society?

"I don't understand, Dr. Arman. Why-"

"How is your father, Wil?"

Wil froze. Not only had he called her by her first name, but his voice had lost all of the false niceties he had presented. It was hard, clearly to distract Wil from her line of questioning.

"My father?"

"Yes," Arman sneered. "A Mr. Claudius Winston. One of the most brilliant minds to ever grace the fields of Astrophysics and Machine Technology in the history of Weyland-Yutani!"His voice had and accusatory edge to it. Did he know..?

"I…I haven't been to Earth in nearly eight years, sir," said Wil, being respectful for his sake and as to not give anything away.

"It's funny. In his 17 years in weapons development, Mr. Winston had never made any mistakes. Strange, is it not, that the one accident he does have is the one that kills him?" Wil clenched her jaw.

"A good-bye from the People's Republic for giving them nothing." Wil stared into Arman's scrutinizing face. He sighed and chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. And stricken with grief you left the Earth to sail the stars with thieves, murderers, and other vagabonds! Why did you not just come to me, to us at the Company? You were sure to have inherited some of your father's genius. You couldn't have been a fit replacement, but you would have been a very welcomed addition. Is that not what you wanted?" Wil sighed. It had been her plan, a lifetime ago, to join her father at Weyland-Yutani. Not comfortable with weapons development, she had considered entering the medical division or perhaps ships technology and propulsion. But everything changed when the war began…

"What did I have to lose? My dreams died with my father. What did it matter that I became a Privateer instead of the Company's tool? My life was over." Wil was completely honest with her incomplete truths. Arman was satisfied, however, and seemed to want to change the subject yet again.

"How did-" he started.

"What time is it?" Wil interrupted, suddenly very tense. Arman furrowed his brow and glanced at his watch.

"1500 hours. Why?" Wil took a deep breath and held it. Unconsciously, she looked to her left, in the direction of the fallen ship. Arman opened his mouth to question her when a loud, powerful blast thundered through the planet. The resounding blast waves toppled them over. Wil used her unbound arms to brace her fall. Arman coughed. Wil stood and grabbed the rolling tea cart. Cups and saucers fell to the ground and shattered. Wil spun the cart so it faced Arman. She could hear people yelling outside. Arman stood and stared at Wil incredulously. She rushed forward and rammed the cart into Arman, pushing him and pinning him against the examination table. She pulled back and rammed him again and he slumped to the floor, out of breath.

Wil reached out and grabbed a bone saw that was beside the dead man on the table. It was awkward, but better than nothing. She ran quickly out of the tent, ducking and covering her mouth from the smoke.

"PUT OUT THAT FIRE!" shouted a voice that Wil knew was Hardegan. There were people on the ground, some moving, some not. Wil scurried around them, searching for only one face.

Scientists carried boxes away from the blast-site while soldiers raced to find extinguishers. One man, the one who had cuffed Wil, was trying to use the Sonic Spinner to smother the flames in debris.

"Adam!" Wil called out, her voice small as she choked from the smoke. She ran as best as she could toward the _Cygnus_, knowing that all able-bodied men were trying to put out the fire. This was Wil and Adam's only chance to escape. Who knew what would happen once they were in space, but there would be no way now that anyone could follow. The _Cygnus_ had one stasis pod. If worse came to worse, she would enter cold sleep and Adam could pilot the ship to a nearby station where they could sell or trade the _Cygnus_ for an unregistered ship and flee to another world. Together.

It could work. It had to.

But if Adam had died in the blast…

"ADAM!" Wil screamed, coughing heartily afterward. A skinny soldier ran over to her.

"Where's Dr. Arman?" he shouted. Wil wasted no time and sliced the bone saw across the man's chest. He stumbled and fell, utter shock on his face. Wil ran. A group of soldiers were cutting in front of her with a large crate; she dashed to the side and ran farther from the drop ship, but away from the crowd. She heard the soft spray of extinguishers going off. Not much time. But to leave without Adam would be pointless. She stood to her full height and pressed several buttons on her tracking watch. She zeroed in on a blue blip. Blue meant non-organic energy source. Adam. She turned and ran as fast as she could toward the blip. To Adam. Away from the smoke, from the _Cygnus_, but once she had him, there would be no stopping her.

He was bent over a body, bandaging a man's head.

"Adam," Wil breathed. He turned and stared at her.

"Wil? Thank God! I thought for sure-" She did not let him finish. She grabbed his hand and raced toward the _Cygnus_ as fast as she could.

"Are there still rations and cryo-fuel on the drop ship?" she asked eagerly. He cocked his head in confusion. It was a cute gesture that Wil could not see as she ran ahead of him.

"Yes, why?" But he did not need to ask. He knew they were escaping. The part of him that was the Android Medical Unit Adam, protested a bit at abandoning injured humans. But his rationale, the part of him Wil had inadvertently sculpted, sparked with excitement. They would be leaving. They would be leaving _together_. 30 yards away. No one was paying attention. This would work. Wil was going to have a life she did not deserve with a man she loved. No more Privateering, maybe they could work in a clinic on some developing planet? New Colonies were always hard pressed for medical staff. It would be perfect.

Wil shrieked in pain as a bolt of fire penetrated her right shoulder. Blood spattered onto the dirt as Wil fell, her right arm not responding to her commands to brace her descent. Adam was still holding her left hand and he pulled her against him.

"Wil!"

"Keep…running…" He hesitated for a second then ran, dragging her behind him. She looked at her bullet wound. A hole the size of a baseball was torn between her shoulder and the end of her clavicle. It must have just missed her lung. Blood steadily dripped from the gaping wound. Wil growled against the pain and resisted the urge to faint. This was nothing. She had survived much worse than this. She pushed herself and ran harder to match Adam's pace.

Another bullet zipped by, grazing her right hip. She limped and instantly Adam swept her up and carried her bridal-style and continued without missing a step. The bone saw slipped from her useless hand. Adam jumped over it. His eyes were on her pale face, her eyes strong and focusing on his. They were only 20 feet from the ship. She could almost taste their future together. Like cherries and buttery cornbread. They were so close. He smiled the softest, most caring smile she had ever seen. She returned the smile and moaned slightly.

The situation changed so fast Wil almost thought the previous moment had never happened.

Adam's chest exploded.

White blood and soaked tubes and wires cascaded across Wil's stomach.

Adam's face was blank as another shot went through his head and he stumbled and fell forward, dropping Wil. She rolled away as his heavy body hit the dirt with a thud. Wil's heart was hammering in her chest so quickly that the beats resonated into one sound. She screamed with unbridled misery as she crawled helplessly toward him. In her peripheral vision, she saw men with guns, but those things vanished as she moved to Adam. His body was twitching involuntarily and she could hear the spurt of his blood.

She sat on her knees, placing his gushing head in her lap. She was covering the top of his head where the gaping bullet hole was, willing her cold and useless arm to move and cover the vast hole in his chest. Limply her hand plopped onto his wound, which was too wide for only one hand to cover. If she could shrug off her jacket, keep him from losing any more fluid. If she could just get him to the ship…

"Oh God, Jesus! Please no! Help me!" she yelled at the blackening sky.

"Wi…Wi…Willl…" Adam's voice was hollow and obscured by liquid. He reached up and touched her cheek. She stared down at him weeping loudly.

"No, Adam, no..." she cried. "I can't live without you…I don't want to live without you…don't leave me!"

"Willl…I…love…yooouu! I-love-you…" His voice rasping and gasping and fading. "I love _because_ of you…" His eyes were glassy but pleading. Wil sobbed.

"I love you, forever, Adam." She bent her head and lightly pressed her lips into his, waiting for the shot that would end her life. Adam's body went rigid, his hand stiffly cupping her face. She shut her eyes tight. Wanting death to take her more than ever before. She would have gladly stayed with the People's Republic for a hundred years if it meant Adam would be waiting for her somewhere alive.

She heard screaming and gunshots. Finally. She would be dead soon. Something sharp wrapped around her waist and pulled. Adam slipped out of her grasp, his body tipping toward her and the hand that had been touching her cheek now seemed to be reaching for her as she was dragged away by a powerful unknown force.

"NOOOO! Let-me-DIE!!" She struggled and clawed and kicked, giving everything she had to try and break away and hold onto her beloved again.

His empty eyes stared out at her, his arm forever reaching for her. She would never forget that picture of him. Even as she was pulled farther away and the pain was taking over her mind, that last image of Adam was branded into her memory for the rest of her life.

Unconsciousness claimed her as she was hauled into darkness.

* * *

She knew where she was without opening her eyes. It was the smell. The musty, dirty, alien smell. As Wil became aware of her surroundings, she saw Adam's vacant expression and his hand reaching for her. She wailed in the dark cave until falling asleep again.

She had no idea of how long she lay there, was not aware of where her rescuer was in all the gloom. Wil never wanted to open her eyes again. Years could have passed; Wil did not register anything but the bleakness inside of her. Her entire life flashed before her eyes a thousand times, she could now pinpoint every mistake she had ever made and all of the things she could have done differently that would have resulted with Adam remaining alive.

Every inch of her insides felt like exposed wounds drowning in salt and lemon juice. Only her injured arm felt cold and slightly prickly. She drifted in and out of sleep. Restless and warm, sweating and suffocating in the humid and stuffy room. She awoke with a gasp, as if she had not been breathing.

Sleep apnea.

Without opening her eyes, Wil sluggishly maneuvered herself, slithering around the on the floor, worm-like, until she found a rock. She slid up on it until the peak rested against the middle of her back uncomfortably. She released a jagged sigh. She enjoyed the discomfort. Although it paled in comparison the searing loss inside of her.

Pain, incredible pain. And emptiness. An endless hollow, a black-hole where her soul had been. Adam had taken it with him when he died, her soul. She was dead too now, she realized that. Only the excruciating pain had unfortunately kept her body alive.

But Wilona Arlette was dead.

Vivid flashes breezed through her mind, fleeting dreams and memories warped with gore and loneliness as her despair tainted everything that had once been good in her mind. Horrible memories flooded within her, almost bearable in contrast with Adam's death.

Adam _and_ Wil's death.

Wil was dreaming of her last moments with him. The large hole in his head, the blood; cool and thin coating her hands. His last words that should have made Wil soar with delight. A strange noise also imbedded itself in her dreams. A sound of weeping and wailing echoed throughout her mind. It was loud enough to bring Wil back to consciousness.

She had been making the sounds as she slept.

Her back was stiff. She groaned, unable to sleep anymore, too weak to cry.

She opened her eyes.

The cavern was surprisingly luminescent. It was also fairly small. The walls were encrusted with resin, but it was opaque, as if it had been there a long time. She moved her eyes to the left, a tiny pool of water rested there.

Wil took a tentative breath, her scratchy throat and aching lungs caused Wil to make a little noise as she inhaled. A flicker of movement from the corner of her eye let her know her friends' location. It slunk out of the wall quickly; as if it had been waiting for the instant she was awake. It stayed a few feet away, crouching, its teeth barely visible.

"You…you should've let-me-diiiee!" Wil said with a sob. She continued for a few minutes, the alien watching her patiently. "They killed us! Adam…and me. And they want you dead too! Why don't you do something…" Wil's voice trailed off as new feelings plagued her.

The sorrow was dispelling, hiding itself in the void created where Wil's soul had once been. Anger and hatred were quickly replacing it, laced with a hopelessness that Wil did not want to acknowledge.

They were murderers, murders, thieves, and kidnappers…_for profit_! Then were worse than Privateers, they were **Raiders**. Just because they had money and Company contracts did not make them any less than the monsters that were desperate enough to kill for a meal or a place to live. Wil shook with anger. But that hopelessness nagged her mind.

What now?

No Adam. No ship. No food. No home. Not that Wil cared anything about anything now that Adam was dead, but that was her reality. No matter how kind these…Xenomorph's had been, Wil could not live the rest of her life in this cave. Her head rolled to the side in defeat, she was resigned to sleep the rest of her life away. That was when she noticed her shoulder.

Yes, she logically should have bled to death. She stared at her shoulder. The hole had been…bandaged was the only word that came to mind, with _resin_, the same thick webbing that laced the walls. It had acted like an adhesive, sealing the wound completely. Wil's gaze moved to her friend and repeated savior.

"I…I just don't understand why you keep…why couldn't you save _him_ too!" She cried loudly, the reverberations from her voice hurting her ears. When the pain was intense enough to leave her ears ringing, Wil finally stopped. "I'm sorry. I know it isn't your fault I just…have nothing left. Nothing good left in me…" Wil's voice deepened as the hollowness came over her. She was numb, there were no more tears were behind her eyes. Her heart had stopped beating. Wil let go of life. She wanted to die, she knew she was dead, she just had not let go of life yet.

So Wil let go.

She let herself die.

Everything she was, all of the beauty Adam had created, she surrendered to him to take to his grave. She was gone forever.

Wilona Arlette was dead.

But Wilona Winston was stirring again.

"Do you know why I changed my last name?" Wil asked the alien in a lifeless voice. It continued to watch intently, only swaying lightly due to its breathing. "My father was a renowned weapons developer. When Fourth War started, he was in very high demand from all sides of the war. And he did business with all of them; the NeoAxis, Terrorists, the Company, Raiders, private investors, politicians. Anyone he wanted. He picked the ones he liked best. He didn't say yes to everybody. My family received death threats on a daily basis." Wil sat up slightly and winced, but continued with her story.

"My pregnant mother was too scared to leave the house, my father brought doctors in for her. He could afford it. I suppose he could've afforded tutors for me too but…well I was stubborn and carefree in the way only people with the security of money could be. I guess I was happy and too young and naïve to realize that someone could interfere with my plans for the future.

"I was 14 when I was kidnapped by the People's Republic of Americas." Wil drew a heavy breath as the memories flashed back into her mind. "They held me hostage for almost 3 months, beating and raping me, then filming videos to send to my father in order to get him to surrender 2 of his pet projects." Wil exhaled a sarcastic snort. "If only those bastards had known how very little my father cared about me…I could've told them that he would never have handed over Io and Demos for a thousand years worth of torturing me! He didn't care, never cared about his family! He only married and had kids because that's what little rich boys are supposed to do.

"They killed me, you know. The 14 year old arrogant and contented girl I had been. They stole my faith and spoiled my soul to the point I had to throw it away to keep from screaming to death while it rotted inside of me! I devised a plan…I-I lied to them about the weapons planning, told them I was ready to betray my father for abandoning me. Only part of me was at that time, but they ate it up. I just needed to gain their trust, just needed to find out where they kept their equipment." Wil paused, shame crossing her features momentarily, than it was replaced with and ugly smirk.

"I killed them all," Wil whispered. "I managed to poison their water supply. 20 men dropped dead within 24 hours. The other 3 who hadn't drunk water, I stabbed or shot. It all seemed too easy. But it actually required a lot of time and…compromises with the men." Wil swallowed and moved away. Going too deep into her past would cloud the new calm that had rooted itself in her gut.

"When I got home, my father was only relieved in the sense that no one had found out about his precious projects! When the doctors told him that my womb had been damaged beyond repair do to repeated battering and infection, my father responded with a, 'well, she never wanted kids anyway.' At least my mother had the decency to cry for me! The news stressed her so much that she went into early labor and both she and my unborn sister died." Wil was gasping at this point. These were all the things she had tried to erase, all of the things she would have told Adam, and he would have held her and loved her anyway.

Wil fell back against the rock, laughing in a strained voice.

"I killed my dad too…shortly after my mom's funeral. Sabotage. Just like tonight. I went into his lab while he was asleep. I rigged one of his simulations, making the power flux faster than he had calculated and, 'BOOM!' I had an appointment with my therapist the next day, so I wasn't home. After a brief stint in a counseling and schooling center, I bribed my way onto a cargo vessel. A few years later, I ended up on the _Kee_. I battled and bartered with the rest of them, absorbing their mannerisms and reflecting them back when deemed appropriate. I tried to add in something to my persona that complemented the group dynamic.

"I decided eagerness and curiosity were traits I could fake and live with. Just enough to distinguish myself from the group, just enough so they wouldn't find out I was mimicking their behavior. All of that changed after a year and a half on the _Kee_, when Adam first came on board." Wil hesitated for only a second, enough to gather her thoughts, but not enough to allow the grief to wash her away again.

"I was curious, I knew I was supposed to be but…after I spent time with him, I really wanted to know him. I was so safe with Adam. Clean and secure. He couldn't tell from my face that I had terrible memories. He didn't know how to read people like humans did. It was a relief. I could relax with him. I talked about my dreams and I asked a lot of questions. Our time together was precious, he brought back some of the light that was stolen from me. I found myself thinking the way I had before my abduction, acting the way I had back then. He touched things I thought were destroyed and restored them, making them better than they were before…" Wil stopped. This was too much. It was too soon to bring up how intimately Adam had affected her. She wanted to keep some things secret as if speaking of them would cause them to disappear.

Wil glanced over at the alien. It was crouching even lower to the ground; its head was bowed in respect. It understood Wil's loss, and she appreciated that greatly.

"Thanks…for listening. I'm sorry." Wil did not know how to finish. She hoped to convey gratitude. It was difficult considering she felt almost nothing now. Wil's head began to swirl with Adam's face, and despite her heartless state, the memories affected her enough to feel sad again. To mourn for her life without him. To still desperately wish he was beside her again now that she had nothing left to wish for. She battled with herself. She did not want to cry anymore, what good would it do? But not to cry would be an insult to his memory, his love. But Wil did not think she could cry anymore. She lay back down, feeling several emotions Wil could no longer name, falling farther into the void that stretched beyond her body and swallowed what was left of her.

The alien contemplated Wil for a long moment as she lay silent as the dead, eyes wide and unblinking. If it was not able to sense her pulse, it would have assumed she was dead. Not knowing how to proceed with her, the alien climbed back into the wall for rest and reconnection to the Hive.

Wil's back was screaming with discomfort. The rock she was resting on was forcing Wil's spine to contort in an unnatural position. Wil had been too numb to notice at first, and then to apathetic to give a damn. But now the pain was obstructing her breathing. Wil sat up, her body stiff, her cloths and skin stained with dry blood.

Adam's white blood.

She stared at her hands with horrified but detached intensity. They were caked with the white substance. Wil slowly flexed her hands into fists, watching as the blood cracked and powdered down onto her equally stained lap.

Wil looked toward the water, the little spa that seemed to have been created just for her. Mindlessly Wil crawled toward it. She was not thinking ahead, she was only doing. Being in the moment. She slowly peeled her clothes off; they were rigid with dried blood and sweat. It was almost impossible for Wil to maneuver considering she could only move her right arm a little, but she was not in a rush.

After she dropped her clothes into pile, she lowered herself into the tepid water. The liquid felt strange against her skin, like a new sensation. Perhaps it felt new because Wil was new. She submerged completely, keeping her hand gripped onto the edge of the rock. She wondered how long it would take for the alien to reach in and pull her out. Maybe it would honor her previous request to die? She ascended before having a chance to find out.

She moved her hand over her body unhurriedly, watching the dirt rise to the surface and ripple away. Wil lightly prodded the sore spots, of which there were plenty, and tried to remember where each injury came from. Looking down passed her breasts, Wil eyed her waist, a braid of bluish bruises woven around its entirety. Wil knew where those had come from.

Wil attempted to move her arm again. The pain was minimal, but the damage limited the motion. Her fingers moved well enough, but lifting her arm was nearly impossible. Would she ever be able to use it properly again? Did it matter when one lived in a cave with aliens?

"How long do I have?" she wondered aloud. How long would it take for Arman to contact his co-conspirators in the Company for a rescue? Wil's face contorted with disgust. She did not want them to leave this planet alive. She did not want to give them the chance to bring more soldiers here. There had to be a way to stop them for good.

A heady sensation wafted through Wil's mind and limbs. Her stomach pulled downward, making Wil feel sick. There was only one way Wil could exact her revenge on Arman and Hardegan.

_No!_ Her mind was trying to talk sense into her. The possibility of acting on irrational vengeful whims was sending her survival instinct into overdrive.

But what did she have to lose?

Wil did her best to come out of the water gracefully. Carefully, she stood to her full height. Her right hip gave one throb of protest, but that was all. Water clung to her pallid flesh and trickled onto the floor, leaving sparkling droplets in her wake. Wil was feeling more phantom by the second, the reasoning behind her plans was eating away at what was left of her sanity.

But she wanted it. Needed to see things through. It was the only way.

Wil stopped before the alien, not self-conscious in the least about the scars and bruises, her shape was flawless.

She stretched her hand and gently placed her fingertips on the end of the alien's phallic dome. It did not respond. Slowly she glided her fingers down to the base of its head, brushing against the nearly invisible trio of scratches.

"I'm floating away. I need you to help me one more time. Anchor me to this world…your world. Give me the strength to let go of the last of my fear so I can destroy them, I want them dead." Wil's hand traveled down the alien's neck and arm, making a path to its fingers. After she traced a sloppy circle on the back of its hand, its tail uncoiled and landed on the ground between Wil's feet. She took a step back and it unfurled its lithe form and settled on the dust before her.

Languidly, it stood. Bent so its face was only slightly above hers. She tipped her head back to gaze into its face. Its hideous and beautiful face.

The alien's teeth were bared and it was breathing deeply. Wil's breathing matched the alien's. She reached up and placed her hand against the side of its face, regretting a bit that she could not use both hands. She ran her fingers over its thin lips and even touched its teeth. The alien opened its mouth and the hot tongue slid out between her thumb and index finger. Wil blushed and shuddered at the eroticism of that action.

She trailed her index finger down one side of the tongue and up the other side. Wil then traced her hand from one shoulder to the other, across the clavicle. She moved closer to it, so her temple was against the alien's cheek. Wil stared at the alien's strong but delicate-looking torso, studying the way the skin hugged the bone so tightly, it was almost as if it had no skin.

Wil gently touched its chest, sliding her hand down its ribcage and stomach. After her hand made the return journey, Wil took another step forward. Unsure of what was allowed, not sure of what this creature was expecting, knowing only that she needed to do this in order to commit to her new plan, she tenderly kissed its chest where a nipple would have been on a human. A tiny hiss escaped from the alien, but it made no move to stop her. She kissed her way to the other side of its narrow torso and licked the spot. Wil felt the alien's tail rise up between her legs and caress her folds softly.

She gasped at the sensation and the alien pulled its tail away. Wil was not sure if that was what she wanted, but paid it little mind. Continuing with her endeavors, she placed her hand on the alien's waist and trailed her lips and tongue down its abdomen. She watched, transfixed as the question to whether or not the alien was male was answered for her.

From the center of the alien's slender pelvis, a small slit became visible, clear liquid like its saliva dripped from the opening. Slowly, a long shaft, slightly narrower than any she had ever seen, but certainly longer, slid out. Wil gazed upon the alien's erection. The tip was more pointed than a human's and under the thin membrane of flesh Wil could see ridges on the penis that were similar to the ones on the alien's tail.

That would feel…different.

Wil trembled, but as solidity finally seemed to be taking hold of her, Wil leaned down and did something she was sure the aliens could not do.

Steadily, she flicked her tongue across the tip. A high-pitched snarl resounded from the alien. She glanced up. It was watching her, its teeth a wide, fearsome grin. Wil maintained eye contact with where she imagined the alien's eyes would be, and slowly, deliberately, wrapped her hand around the shaft. The alien hissed again, its jaws opening and its tongue slipping out.

But it did not push her away.

Wil cautiously began moving her hand up and down, slightly twisting her hand as she did so. It was so slippery. The alien's member must produce the same lubrication as the rest of its body. Wil was surprised to see the alien brace itself against the wall, placing its hands in front of itself to hold itself steady. Breathy grunts and sighs were escaping from it. Wil was pleased.

She looked away from its face and focused on what she was doing. Carefully she moved her mouth to cover the tip and she suckled gently as she made her hand pump faster. Her body tingled as the alien made noises of what had to have been pleasure. She was in control now. It was a rush to have such an imposing creature at her mercy. She moaned slightly at the high.

Wil took the entire erection into her mouth, feeling the tip tickle the back of her throat as her head bobbed evenly.

She felt its tail slink between her legs again, brushing against her core so gently it was like air. Her lips tightened around the alien's penis and her movements became unsteady. She felt its hands grip her shoulders and she pulled back. It was crouching, its face level with hers. It pulled her to her feet and stood before her.

Wil wondered what was playing through its mind as its tail sidled between her legs and wrapped softly around her waist. Its hands suddenly moved forward and explored her chest, rubbing her breasts with the slick palms of its hands. She 'mmm'ed. It moved its hands everywhere, touching skin, scars, bruises, every bare inch. Warmth was growing in her center where the alien's tail danced and spread to the rest of her body.

She reached out her hand to caress its chest again, moving her hand to its erection, stroking it and rubbing her palm across the tip in a circular motion.

It was time. Time to commit to her new life. This final act would solidify her standing as a Wilona Winston. She was a murderer who was not afraid of anything, not even revenge. Wilona Arlette, beloved of Adam, was becoming the memory of a deceased best friend. Wil would make everyone pay for his death, for her death.

She put her hand on its shoulder and pushed down. She could not make it move, but it understood her demand and lowered itself. Wil followed, kneeling before the swooped creature. She crawled toward it and it backed away until it rested against a wall. She kept moving until she sat in its lap, its penis pressed against her stomach.

For an instant, she wondered if this creature had ever mated before. If it knew how humans mated. The thought of the alien being a virgin shot a thrill through her that she did not quite understand. Perhaps that was why it was allowing Wil to take the lead?

The alien's hands were on the ground on either side of its body. Wil sat up slightly, placing her good hand on its chest for balance. Her center was hovering above the alien's erection. Wil took a deep breath and carefully slid down over it.

Her face contorted at the myriad of sensations.

Pleasure shadowed by discomfort, but the ridges sent small jolts through her. The heat of its penis combined with the coolness of the alien's lubrication caused the air to seize in Wil's lungs.

It filled her perfectly and she sat still for a moment to catch her breath. She was moaning quietly just from the contact, and could not stop her hips from moving forward and back, just rocking in its lap. Wil was trembling and satisfied when she noticed the alien slightly tremble as well. She leaned toward it, resting her forehead against the aliens. Its tongue slipped out and nipped at Wil's neck, she whimpered in shock. She pulled her head back and ran her tongue down the length of its tongue, wrapping her lips around it and giving one hard suck.

A guttural hiss erupted from it. Wil started to move up and down. Exposing an inch of its length and taking it back in. Wil pressed herself into the alien's body, holding it close. Her movements did not get faster, but they became deeper. Instead of lowering herself back into the alien's lap, she was dropping herself onto it, making the sensations more intense. Her nipples dragged across the alien's chest bones as she moved up and down, causing a rippling effect that settled in her stomach along with the building pleasure of penetration.

The alien wrapped its tail around her waist, up her back, and stopping around her neck gently, even as it kept its hands on the sides of its body, scratching claw-marks into the ground.

Wil could feel pressure building up inside of her, she moved faster, moaning loudly, managing to hook her bad arm around its neck and use her good arm to tickle up and down its spine.

The pleasure was almost too much for her. She had never had an orgasm and was somewhat afraid of how it would feel, of how she would react to it.

But she did not stop.

With a yelp of surprise, Wil's walls clamped around the ribbed alien penis inside of her. Fire lashed from her insides, burning the outside of her body and sending her cognizance on a tale-spin.

It was a short but powerful feeling and Wil collapsed against the alien's raised knees. She opened her eyes to look at her friend and it…_he_ was staring at her with an inhuman hunger splayed across the typically unreadable features.

"That was-" but Wil did not have the chance to finish. The alien quickly moved, pinning her wrists to the ground while using his tail to prop up her hips. Instinctively she draped her legs around his waist, but admittedly she was becoming a little bit scared of him.

He let go of her bad arm and slid his fingers down her cheek and across her chest, clumsily rubbing her breasts and nipples. Wil's breathing became labored. It felt good to be touched, but a small part of Wil's brain nagged at her and pumped fearful scenarios into her head even as her body ached for more.

Wil looked between her parted knees; the alien's erection twitched and lubricant dripped onto the floor. She arched her back and moved her hips toward him, as they were still being held airborne by the alien's tail. His grip tightened around her wrist and she sighed in frustration. Why was he stopping? He obviously had not…finished, but he seemed determined to run his cool, wet hand all over her torso for the rest of their lives.

She kept her eyes on his face, which seemed to be focusing on her chest. She winced in pain and glanced down. The alien was examining the marks on her body and he had just pressed his finger against a bruise.

"Oh, is that why we stopped?" Wil asked, relieved and unnerved at the same time. Did he find her marks…repulsive? He did not seem to mind them before. He appeared to be captivated by each scar and bruise, as if he had never seen anything like them in his life. He hissed very quietly and his hand moved between her legs. Wil's body tensed. She did not want his boney claws inside of her.

Wil had worried for nothing. The alien simply moved his fingers across the scars on her labia, as he had the scars on her stomach. She whimpered from the contact, so close to her core…

The alien's expression contorted with rage and he moved forward, his face so close to hers she could feel his hot breath on her skin. The tip of his penis poked into her folds, pressing into her clitoris. She gasped and bucked her hips to continue the sensation. She leaned up and kissed and licked the alien's face, tasting his wet skin. That was all the prompting he needed. Suddenly he was inside of her again. He screeched and she groaned. The feeling was different with her hips elevated; more intense.

The alien's pace was very fast, not rough but swift, faster than any human could move. Wil wanted so badly to wrap her arm around his neck, to be even closer to him, but he still held her by the wrist. Wil was moaning loudly and thrashing underneath the beast; she was near her second climax and the build-up was stronger this time, almost painfully so.

The alien slowed down slightly and thrust harder. His entire body was shaking, it was nearly over. He pressed himself flush against her body and moved fast. Wil felt blissfully smothered and her second orgasm was much more extreme than the first, she screamed in pleasure as the feeling lasted longer than before. The alien pulled back and his body gave a violent tremor. He shrieked and came hard, practically knocking the breath from Wil's lungs. She opened her eyes in time to see the alien's tongue zip out and snap shut less than an inch from her eyes.

Wil felt faint, too dazed to realize how close she had just come to death. She placed a quick kiss on the alien's tongue and it withdrew slowly. She unsteadily leaned up and kissed the alien's mouth. Well, more like his teeth. She pulled back and the alien's lips closed slightly. So, Wil moved forward and kissed him again, her warm mouth gentle against his thin lips.

Without warning, the alien was moving, climbing up into the wall behind it to rest. Wil was pulled along with him, his tail and left arm holding her tightly to his body. She yawned and could not help but fall asleep. She was exhausted. When she awoke the next day, the real work would begin.

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Thanks for waiting!! I've decided to make this chapter long and then add another chapter (instead of making everything happen in this one) since you guys had to wait so long!! There is going to be one more chapter and an epilogue. Enjoy this and I'll start working on 7 right away!

THANKIES AND KISSIES!!


	7. Chapter 7

FINALLY I UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!

Thank-you for your patience and I hope you enjoy part one of chapter 7!

I don't own the Aliens, but I would sooooo like to…

---Rated **M** for more crazy xeno-sex and bloody violence… Not to mention drama…

Masses of glistening, black, bodies writhed in an endless undulating pool of ecstasy. Backs arched, hands groped, legs and tails wrapped themselves around whomever was closest. Hissing and grunting echoed throughout the space like one rhythmic heartbeat. A single entity was nestled in the center. Every other being in the nest was connected to that one. Her arms stretched to embrace the collection of euphoric creatures as their pleasure sent waves into her body even as wet, boney hands caressed her:

The Queen of the Hive.

Wilona awoke with a start. She trembled as the cool air settled on her bare skin. She tried to stretch and her injured arm shook as she lifted it up. She stopped when she heard a ripping sound. The resin hammock that her protector had made for her was starting to tear. Wil smiled; the alien had made the cocoon loose on purpose, he didn't intend to trap her. She shimmed her way free, peeling the web-like remains from her body. She looked slowly around the cave for her friend. He was crouching a few feet away, a sliver of moonlight rested on his back. Wil furrowed her brow. He was rocking slightly and breathing deeply through his teeth. She stepped toward him and shuddered, biting her lip.

The alien was masturbating.

Wil's pupils dilated with excitement as she watched him fondling his sleek shaft. Up, down. Up, down. Wil swallowed as her mouth began to water.

"My God, what's happening to me?" Wil whispered. The alien turned his head and hissed seductively, his tongue slipping out for just a second. "Good morni-I mean, hello." Wil moved closer to the alien and draped herself across his back, resting her head on his shoulder. The alien started moving as if to end his ministrations, but Wil pressed herself into him harder, blushing madly. "No, d-don't stop…I wanna watch you…touch yourself." The alien seemed confused by the request, but obviously understood her. He complied, wrapping his long fingers around his penis again and stroking. The alien grunted and Wil began rubbing her body against his ridged back. She moaned as her nipples and clitoris made contact with the slick, hard, flesh.

The alien moved his hand faster; he twisted and tugged himself more roughly than a human man could stand. Wil felt herself losing control as she moved against the alien's body, watching raptly while he caressed himself the way she had. Her stomach pinched with hunger just before she came and she yelped at the conflicting sensations. Wil bit the alien's shoulder as hard as she could to keep from crying out too loudly as she climaxed. No need to attract any unwanted attention.

"Oh…shit," Wil said with a tired laugh. She glanced at her friend's shoulder; not a scratch, but her jaw was sore. The alien was panting beneath her, still erect.

Wil's jaw wasn't _that_ sore…

Wil maneuvered herself, sliding down the alien's back, across his waist, and knelt on the ground in front of him. She took his member in both hands and pulled. He roared and pushed his hips forward. Wil smiled devilishly and closed her lips around him and began to suckle as fast and hard as she could. The alien hissed and trembled, lost in the intensity. The alien started to pull away, to mount Wil, just like the night before, but Wil wouldn't let go.

"No, I want to taste…" Wil couldn't bring herself to say it, so she just placed her lips back around him. Wil couldn't believe how much she enjoyed having him in her mouth. Wil remembered the few times she had performed oral sex before, well was forced to. During her time with The People's Republic, some of the gutsier men would hold Wil at knifepoint to earn her compliance. Since then, she had never found the idea of treating a penis like a straw very appealing, but after seeing the alien sitting here, hopelessly aroused, it called something out in Wil; something animalistic, something…_alien_.

She reached her good hand down to stroke the alien between the thighs; the skin there was slightly thinner and softer. She felt a rumble under her hand, he was almost ready. Wil took a deep breath and prepared herself, opening her throat.

With a piercing screech, the alien came in Wil's mouth. The milky liquid reminded Wil of hot vanilla pudding in looks and consistency. The taste was bitter and salty, with a hint of something like chlorophyll. Wil swallowed the first mouthful, but there was too much for her and the rest of it poured out of her mouth and spilled down her chest and stomach. Tentatively, she touched the warm fluid, smearing across her breast. It was sticky and smelled mildly acrid. Wil wondered if it was safe to ingest alien semen but quickly pushed the thought aside.

After everything else she'd survived these last few days, a little other-worldly jizz wouldn't hurt anything.

"Ah-hem," Wil coughed. "Uh…" Suddenly Wil was very nervous. What do normal people do with the time following an impassioned encounter? Wil touched her stomach. "I guess they shower." Wil stood shakily and the alien stooped above her. "I…really enjoyed that…friend. But," she glanced toward the pool "I need to wash up." The alien tilted his head and leaned forward an inch or two, his lips closed faintly. "Oh, yes I would like that very much!" Wil understood.

He wanted another kiss.

The thought made Wil dizzy.

She stood to her full height and kissed him gently.

"Compared to the ejaculate, your skin lubricant is almost sweet." She shook her head. "I'm too clinical sometimes, sorry." She kissed him again…and again, licked his teeth, jaw, neck. She nibbled on his chest, ribs, left arm and hand. She placed his hand on her chest, rubbed her breasts against his palm, and licked the slime and semen from his fingers. Her stomach lurched. "Gah, I'm hungry…" Wil kissed the alien's fingertips than hugged him. "I-I don't know if you want me to treat you like a human or not but, thanks for…not killing me." Wil started to cry again, mindlessly. The tears streamed out of her eyes, but she was hardly aware of them. It was like a ghost was crying. "I still need…" The alien stood back abruptly, causing Wil to stumble.

"What's wrong?" The alien hissed and rushed off toward a crack in the cave wall Wil was sure she couldn't fit in. "Wait!" He was gone. She knew by now that he would never abandon her, but she was worried for his safety…and her future.

I know, short. I'm working on the rest but for now...this will tide you over? LOVES!!!!


	8. Chapter 7 part 2

WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the reviews that inspired me. That and my boredom…and my horniness… Ah well! Chapter 7 part 2 is just for you!

Thank-you to all of my reviewers but especially Nargus, Dragonfiz, and A person!!!!! WOOP!!!

I **do not** own the Aliens, but if I did, I'd pull Wil chapter 7 on one! *wink*

(And lucky you! Because I'm so horny…Y'ALL GETS ANUDDER SMEX SCENE!!! YIPPEROOONIE!!!!!!!!!-)

**Rated ****M**** for very graphic sexual content! **Well, as graphic as a virgin can get…

**-****YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED-**

Wil washed herself in the tepid pool and explored the musty cave. She wondered about her life, her choices. Nothing mattered anymore, not really. Everyone she knew was dead, including herself in a sense. As she traced her fingers along the moist walls, she shivered, imagining the alien…_her_ alien writhing beneath her.

"Oh, the animal I have become," she said, hugging her naked form. Wil smiled a cold and calculating smile. Her plan hadn't changed. If anything the (amazing) sex Wil and her alien had shared had only made her more determined to go through with it.

"Everything," she whispered, "Everything will burn…" Wil shed one final tear for her friends, for herself. She peered at her reflection in the water. A haunted but beautiful face stared back at her. Beaten, tormented, dead…vengeful. All of those things swam behind her expression. She had to look away when the regret came to the surface.

"Goodbye," Wil said to no one and everyone.

A grating noise returned Wil to her senses. She had dozed off on her dirty and discarded clothing, but now stood and rigidly prepared herself for a fight. Weak with hunger, Wil swayed, but didn't close her eyes. She looked over to the crack in the wall where her alien had disappeared, and something cylindrical rolled out.

"Tear gas?!" Wil gasped, terrified that what was left of Arman's base-camp had found her. A shadow slipped in behind the canister and Wil sighed heavily with relief.

"You scared me you fiend!" She walked over to his crouching form and stroked the long shaft of his head. Underneath the coolly lubricated carapace, the heat radiating from him was intoxicating. She smiled as her eyes clouded over with lascivious thoughts.

"Shit, I just can't get enough of you," she stammered, somewhat worried about her newfound sexual appetite. Wil shifted her weight off of her injured hip and released with an embarrassing squelch that she was wet…very wet.

"Oh, oh God!" She flushed with embarrassment and started to move away but…she was stopped by the alien's tail pressing against her spine, dancing slowly along her back like a serpent. She gasped as his hands slid up the back of her thighs. His long fingers spread her lower lips from behind and she felt slight shame when she caught scent of herself.

"I…oh," Wil choked on her words as the aliens fingers caressed the pink and delicate flesh hidden under her labia. Wil closed her eyes and moaned softly.

When she opened her eyes, Wil was surprised to find herself leaned back and turned to her right side, her alien's tail and left arm holding her steady.

"What the-ahh!" He brushed his face against her center, which was now exposed as her left leg was resting against her alien's dome. "Oh God, I…what are you doing?" She craned her neck in time to see his 'tongue' slip out from between his glistening teeth and felt more than saw as it penetrated her slowly. It gently pulsed with heat inside of her and she moaned loudly. He retracted it halfway and than inserted again, until it could go no further. Again and again, at a snail's pace, until Wil bucked her hips against his face and was rewarded by her clitoris rubbing deliciously over the dull ridges of his teeth. Wil panted and moaned until she couldn't breathe. Awkwardly clenching her thighs around his head, Wil came. He lovingly set her sweaty body on the ground between his legs. She dazedly looked up at his face. It dripped with her pearly cum and she felt kind of guilty.

After all, he couldn't lick it off.

But she could…

He hissed softly as she reached up for his face and pulled it closer to hers. With only momentary hesitation, Wil licked his jaw and lips, adding a suckle here and a nip there so as not to be so much like a cat. She trailed kisses down his neck and hugged him tightly. She smiled when she felt his erection pressing against her leg. Feeling reckless and not giving a damn because her life was basically over, Wil pushed her alien down onto his back and she straddled him confidently. Looking at his face, she reached behind herself and wrapped her hands around his cock and stroked and twisted; one hand moving up while the other moved down. As her alien began to hiss raggedly, Wil jerked her hands upward, tugging roughly on his glossy erection. He screeched and seemed very excited by her aggression. Wil spun herself around and sat on his hard cock reverse-cowgirl style. She rode him as fast as she could given how slick their bodies had become. She clamped her walls around his ribbed penis as she rolled her hips in a circular motion. Just as she was about to climax, her alien sat up, grabbing her breasts and standing, holding Wil as close to his chest as she could get comfortably. She threw her arms behind her and hooked them around his neck. Almost all of her body weight was pushing him deeper inside as her legs dangled. Her eyes fluttered and her legs tingled with the intensity.

Suddenly, he was climbing up, using only his tail and legs. We wedged himself in such a way that they were horizontal but facing down. Wil's mild fear only added to the pleasure jolting through her. She bent her legs and slipped her feet behind his knees for balance, using her new grip to move against him. Up and down, staring at the floor with his hands cupping her breasts, moaning with abandon, Wil came harder than she ever had in her short life. Dizzy and spent, she yelped as her alien climaxed inside of her. She watched with curiosity as their mingled liquids dripped down her legs and landed soundlessly on the dirt below them.

After a few minutes to return their heart-rates to normal, he climbed down and moved her to the canister. It was a can of food. Wil laughed a little about how paranoid she had been, but who could blame her?

After setting her down, he grabbed the large can and tore the top off like a tin of sardines, even though the can wasn't meant to be opened that way. The label had been torn off, but Wil could tell by the serial number on the remains of the lid, that this food must've come from Arman's landing-site. She smirked and reached for the hearty chicken and rice stew.

"Um, do you mind?" She didn't have any utensils and her own hands were dusty. She took her alien's hand and used his index and middle fingers like a spoon. She ate covetously and sometimes lost herself and sucked on his fingers just a bit longer than necessary.

She ate until her stomach hurt, but forced herself to eat it all. A calm settled over her and she stood, feeling stronger, much stronger. Even her aching joints seemed to have been soothed. Or maybe her physical pain didn't matter anymore.

"Thank-you, for everything. But I have another favor to ask you." Wil took a deep breath as if feeling her lungs for the first time. "We were sent here to collect a treasure, something that would make us rich beyond our dreams. We didn't know it was you, your species. We were never meant to make out of here alive. My crew…my friends…" Wil shook her head. "Do you know what those men want? They want to invade your nest, take your queen, your mother, and all of your brothers and sisters! Butcher you, torture you…turn you into weapons." She snorted derisively. "That's something I know a little bit about. Bio-weapons, I can see why they'd risk so much for you. But it isn't right. You're a sapient race, and even if you weren't humanity doesn't need any new ways to kill each other. Besides, they murdered my friends, innocent people. And I know they will never let me get away from this world alive. Even if I had a reason to go on living…" She couldn't block Adam's face from her mind. He was smiling in a way she had never seen. They on a world they would never visit, living a life that would never exist. Instead of crying, Wil filled with rage and clenched her fists.

"I want revenge…blood! They will pay dearly for fucking with me!" Wil turned her burning gaze to her alien, who was breathing deeply, sharing her agitation. "I want-the only way I can be strong enough to stop them is by…" she gulped and fought a tremble. "I need you to make me into one of you."

OH SNAP!!! How many of you saw that coming, eh? Am I a bitch or what? I _**LOVES**_ cliffies!!!!!! Tell me what you think. Chapter 8 I'll prolly have up by Tuesday! *fingerscrossed*

Not the best, but 8 is all action and closure. A different kind of sexiness awaits us in the conclusion of this story!

KISSIES!!


	9. Chapter 8

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! MY REVIEWERS ARE SOOOOOOOO SEXY AND AMAZING!!!!!!! I'M SORRY THAT THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! MY FAMILY IS VISITING AND I HAVE LESS TIME FOR WRITING!!!!! PLUS I WANT TO COMBINE THE ACTION SEQUENCE WITH THE EPILOGUE SO THERE WILL BE ONE CHAPTER AFTER THIS AND THEN DONE!!! (And this chapter was already 12 pages and I said, wow, I'll finish the rest later.) So, I'll try to have it up sometime next week. Again, family and funerals make it hard to fic-out. Sorry!!!

Although, since I lost my job, so I'll have more time to finish this story, once the fam scrams) write some other Aliens originals, (woopwoop) and work on my **Hellsing** fan fiction…O-O (I have huge glasses…like insectoid.) And if you haven't read the Hellsing manga, watch Hellsing Ultimate on Animefreak[dot]com. It is _really_ violent, but the men and women are smex-tastic!

Anyway, I **do** **not** own the Aliens, but they are awesome.

Rated **M** for sex, violence, language, and all the other stuff that makes the world go 'round. (Heh)

* * *

He could not remember when he pinned her down. Her heat and electrical signatures indicated desire and compliance, so he continued. His memories were disjointed. He was capable of experiencing the present while remembering the past and sensing the whispers of the Hive. Although, communication with the Hive was best when he was connected with the Drone secretions that webbed the walls.

But he could always hear the Queen.

The soft female was splayed under him. His thighs spreading her thighs, his pelvis flush with her pelvis, hard stomach against smooth, creamy stomach. Her small face was pressed to his neck, and the way her mouth moved across his skin was strange but alluring to him. Her warmth and softness were completely alien to him, her exposed skin as delicate as flower petals. He moved his hips, grinding himself, his entire body against her prone form. The noises that emanated from her throat were music compared the grunts and shrieks of his people.

She was different, she was special.

Pale, tender, sweet to the taste, responsive to his exploratory touch.

He had seen humans before. His Host had been human. Humanoids created Warriors, such as he was.

But this one was different.

Her aura flashed in colors he had never seen before. He wasn't sure if his people were capable of wanderlust, but he had roamed planet-side in silence and solitude searching for something he knew wasn't there.

Hosts. For his race, the propagation of the Hive was top priority and protecting the Queen was the highest aspect of that priority.

But he had somehow yearned for more. He didn't understand the concept of falling outside of the lines of duty; there were no words in his language for discontent with one's station in life.

He pressed his body into his mate with repressed exasperation. He had to be so gentle, fighting his instincts, not wanting to hurt her. He crushed his form to hers as firmly as safely possible, buried deep inside her hot, tight, core. His movements were graceful but unpredictable. He did not withdraw his erection from her, only shifted his hips and pushed further, as if mapping her insides with his ridged cock. She bit his collar bone with force and he screeched with aroused earnest. His hands gripped her elbow joints to keep her immobile.

It was not as if he didn't like her smooth hands trailing light touches over his body. He very much enjoyed her style of mating, but her last statement disturbed him. Her language was difficult for him to comprehend, but her intentions were clear enough for him to read.

She wanted to die.

Die by giving herself to the Hive.

It was his purpose to collect Hosts.

But did he want the female to die?

Did what he want even matter?

He felt her climax hard and quick under him. The pheromones seeping from her body post-orgasm were delectable. His tongue slipped out and rubbed into her fiery hair to drink it in. His brain buzzed with her scent. It bubbled through his head and down his limbs, clouding his cognizance. Icy tingles burst under his skin and he forced his cock deeper inside of her than he'd ever been, emptying himself until his cum spilled out of her. He could sense her arousal and marveled at her lack of fear.

She moved in a way that indicated that she wanted to sit up, so he backed up slightly, just enough that she could close her legs. He rested his hands on her round hips. Why was he so afraid that she would disappear? She sat up, energy draining rapidly from her. She stared intently at his face. Why did he want to turn away from her? She kissed him. He enjoyed this strange display. She pressed her lips and pliable oral muscle on his lips and teeth. His tongue slid into her mouth and she wrapped her human lips around it and suckled enthusiastically. He opened the small mouth on the end of his tongue and she teased the inside of the hot cavity with her oral muscle.

He had never been touched the way she had touched him. It was very good. He needed more of her. He was erect again. Did part of him think that if he kept mating with her, she would never want to become as he was? He didn't want to her to leave. Why did he feel this way?

Why did he feel?

A new sensation sparked through his body. His mate had moved her soft mouth to his erection. Her hands stroked his inner thighs and ran up his hips, along his ribs, and rubbed his chest, than her fingers trickled back down to his thighs and she'd begin their journey again. He hissed and trembled. She gagged a little as she took all nine inches of his slick cock into her mouth and throat, the flat side of her tongue making circles on the underside of his shaft. Next she slowly pulled her head back, raking her teeth against his penis gently. He squirmed and grunted, he wanted to push her down again and mate with her using all of his strength. His control was thinning, especially as she nibbled on his twitching erection. She made pleasant sounds of enjoyment as she played with him and he hissed loudly, out of ardor, yes, but also because he could feel the Queen's attention flowing toward him and he was frightened. He stared down at his mate as she passionately sucked and tugged his throbbing cock. She took his hands and placed them on her breasts, displaying to him how to massage her white mounds and pink nipples the way she wanted him to. He liked it. Her suppleness was very appealing. His mate slid his erection between her firm chest mounds and she used them to stroke cock. The sensation was too much for him to bear, it was so unlike anything he had ever known before: tender, affectionate. He didn't understand why he had always needed something that he hadn't even known existed until he met this human.

He came, his thick, stringy cum spouting into her mouth and onto her right cheek. A few spurts even found its way into her hair and several droplets dripped down her earlobe. She swallowed and licked the fleshy opening that his limp penis receded into. She said something. He focused on her again. He saw his semen on her face and ear and he awkwardly wiped it away. She grinned and lapped it from his hand.

She was changed now, he could tell. She was determined to become as he was. She was not as unsure in how she carried herself. Even her manner of speaking had changed. She spoke again, she was conveying concern, but his mind was elsewhere. The Queen was probing him. He could not resist. She now knew what he knew. She was pleased. The meat on the surface was ripe and the Queen wanted to send a Cluster to collect them. Why not this female as the lead? She infiltrated him and gave her command. The female would become a Host. She would be glorious.

He could not resist.

Wil touched her alien's face and he hissed as he turned to her.

"Was I…did you not like what I was doing?" Wil was confused. She hoped he understood that she was just experimenting with types of sex since she wouldn't be alive much longer.

Unless…

"You are going to y'know, let me become…impregnated, right?" Wil felt very bizarre. What if he didn't want her to…have his baby, as it were?

Well, technically it was the Queen's baby.

Her alien pulled her close. Wil gasped. He was giving her a hug. She returned the embrace with the same confusion with which he had returned her unfamiliar gesture when he had first showed her the exit from the Nest. He leaned his head down and pressed his mouth to hers. Wil kissed him back and he trilled. As he pulled away, a thin thread of saliva connected their lips. Neither one noticed. Slowly, he backed away, back toward the nook too narrow for Wil to follow, and with a noise like a whimper, her alien slipped through the crack and left her alone again.

* * *

Faster, faster. He was being beckoned. He had been forgiven his transgression in favoring the human to his duties in the Hive, but he would not be forgiven again. He barely sensed the rocks beneath his hands and feet as he nearly flew through webbed chambers and tunnels.

The Nest was humid and seethed with life. All inside the Hive could feel the thrum of fresh Hosts on the surface. The Queen knew because of her human-befriending Warrior that they were disabled for the time being. He bowed in deference and total submission to his master, and she showed him favor by tilting her head in his direction. With a nearly imperceptible twitch of the jaw, she summoned a Warrior from behind her. This one, older and granted the tribute to mate with the Queen, stepped out from behind a slime-drenched crag. It was holding a large and leathery egg in its hands.

* * *

Wil stretched and reminisced about her time in this cave. She figured nearly five days had passed since her alien had first brought her down here from what seemed like another lifetime. A few days of crying, sleeping, fucking. Could anyone do that forever? Wil was strangely calm as she surveyed the cave. A numbness had settled in her gut. It had only happened once before; when she first decided to comply with the terrorists of the Peoples Republic. Fierce and determined, Wil had felt so detached. Even in therapy it had been hard for her to recall what had happened in detail. Her memories of that time were narrative, as if they had happened to someone else.

Just like five days ago.

Wil stopped in front of her pile of clothes. She ripped a few shreds indifferently. Had she really once adorned such a uniform? She chuckled quietly. It was not a joyful laugh. Wil was the living dead and she didn't like it. This is what she had to do, but not what she wanted. Wil rarely ever got what she really wanted. In a life of settling for second or third best, part of Wil was happy to throw it all away.

But a tiny part of her did not want to die.

Had she really survived rapes and Raiders, hurt and hatred, longings and loneliness…for _this_?

The piece of her that wanted revenge was the same as the one that wanted to survive wasn't it?

No.

"No," she told herself firmly. She was arguing with weakness. The small and greedy child in her wanted her to flee, hide, and survive even if it meant living like a rat in a sewer. Wil did not want to suffer anymore. She would be brave. She would have her revenge. She would die by the Bushido code of honor. She would give her life for her alien lover and his family in order to pay a blood debt against her. It was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do. If this new Wil was allowed to escape, she would fester in misery and poison everything around her for the rest of her life.

If only she could hear a human voice one more time.

If only she could hear _his_ voice…

Wil screamed in shock and outrage, practically blind with an uproar of emotions she thought she had tossed away. She stormed about the cave like a raving madwoman, stopping only when she heard a snapping sound. Wil's vision cleared and she floated back to her senses. Her right hand had formed a fist and she had slammed it into a wall, successfully breaking a finger and several metacarpals. Pain skewered Wil's damaged arm and pulsed her entire right side with hot needles of agony.

"I'm such and IDIOT! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!!!" Wil wept and sobbed, collapsing on her aching arm. "I'm so sorry, everyone…so sorry."

"_Do you believe in heaven?"_

"Ah!" Wil stirred. She couldn't move. Her body hurt. Her soul hurt. She knew he was almost there. What would he do when he found her this way? She swallowed a dry lump that had formed in her throat. Her face was wet. Her skin was cold. How much longer would she have to live this way?

He entered the cave bordering on somber. He was unsure, but didn't know why he was so bothered. This was his purpose. This should fulfill him. He saw his mate on the ground and nearly dropped the Queen's gift. He rushed to her side, hissing, and slowly lifted her with one hand. Her eyes were glazed and blood was drying under her nose. Her right hand was swollen and purple-black. He could sense the chaos churning inside of a body that was dead. Her mind was alert and clear, but it was no longer capable of controlling the body.

Wil could see, her vision was blurry, but she knew her alien was there. She could see the egg he was holding. It seemed darker and larger than she remembered the eggs being. A pang of fear shot up her spine. Her body twitched in an attempt to get away. She could dominate her instincts. She forced her body to relax. Her vision focused slightly and her alien helped her sit up against a wall nearby. He set the large egg four feet from her. Her head lolled to the side and Wil fought the urge to cry as a seam split on the surface of the egg; a thick trail of slime gurgled out. The fleshy popping sound of the egg's bio-shell peeling back made Wil want to gag. She glanced to her alien. He was stooped behind the egg, shadow cast on his face. Wil smiled at him and she was contented with him being the last thing she would ever see.

The spindly infant crawled out of its embryonic cage and as if sensing this Hosts' decision, almost lovingly made its way toward Wil. Its tail slithered around her neck and she opened her mouth for it. As its legs wrapped around her face and the sight of her alien was becoming obscured, Wil said her last words to him,

"I love you."

The face-hugger tightened its grip as it mated with its Host. The alien watched in anticipation and sorrow as the female's body slumped over and she fell into a coma-like state. Her words had meant little to him, but her emotions had left him like an open blossom in the dawn's first warm rays. He had never experienced such a thing, but he knew it was what he had been searching for all along.

He would never forget her.

* * *

"Do you believe in heaven?" Adam asked quietly as he stared ahead at the red-orange setting of the sun.

"Of course I do," Wil said sweetly as she sipped fruit punch from a pineapple-shaped cup. He glanced at her through the corner of his eye; she was smiling but serious. He furrowed his brow.

"Do you think…I could get into Heaven someday?" Adam faced Wil full-on. He was very curious as to her response. She turned to him, mildly worried but still light-hearted.

"Do you want to go to Heaven, Adam?" He looked away from her, embarrassed.

"Yes I do."

"Then I think you'll make it," she said returning her gaze to the sunset.

"R-really?" Adam lifted his eyes to her profile. She grinned brightly.

"Ask and ye shall receive."

Wil stared, mouth agape at the scene before her. The sky had grown still; Adam and Wil were frozen with happy, care-free smiles. The edges of the park they were sitting in seemed to bleed into a white nothingness where Wil was standing, watching.

"I remember this, Star Station Gamma 18. Our final vacation before our last mission with Captain Bane…"

"I knew I loved you then," came a rich and familiar voice. Wil spun around to face the whiteness opposite of the frozen memory.

"Adam…" Wil's voice almost didn't exist. She shook her naked form. She grabbed herself and realized on some level that she was no longer injured. She was nude, but able-bodied again. She looked up to Adam. He was smiling broadly, dressed in black with a mahogany trench coat that made him look very sexy, very human. Nearly exploding on the spot, Wil ran to him. He enveloped her in a warm embrace. He smelled like cinnamon and oranges. She cried for a long time. He cried with her. She kissed him sloppily and he chuckled. He was so human.

"You were right, Wil. I made it," Adam stated, pulling back from Wil slightly so he could see her face. She stared at him in wonder.

"Is this Heaven?" Wil asked breathlessly. Adam's eyes darkened as he shook his head.

"These are your memories, this is you mind, your "happy place" as some people might call it." He took a few steps back toward the scene of the two of them on the hill. "I've been waiting for you in the same place, Wil. It seems I've been waiting for a long time, but I know it hasn't even been a week yet." He smiled sheepishly. "I miss you." Wil took a step toward him.

"I'm on my way, Adam. I'm about to die." She walked toward him and they hugged again. "I'm so sorry, Adam! I-I miss you too…" The world inside of Wil's mind began to shudder. The Adam and Wil of her memory disintegrated and the real Adam and Wil were left standing in the white void. Wil smiled, she could feel a tightening in her chest that must've meant she'd be dead soon, dead and reunited with her beloved on the other side. Wil grinned a teary grin. "See you soon, Adam." He cupped her face as he began to float away from her. He was already so far in the distance, but she could feel his fingers grazing her cheek. Tears formed in his eyes and he offered a mourning smile.

"No you won't."

* * *

Wil sat up gasping for air. The face-hugger husk was in her lap. She was panicking. She didn't want to feel the pain. How long had she been asleep? There was movement under her sternum, against her lungs, her stomach was rolling. Wil's eyes watered and she felt like she was breathing underwater. Her heart was beating so erratically, a few seconds would pass where there were no beats at all, and sometimes both chambers would constrict simultaneously. Wil wanted to vomit, but the extreme pressure in her chest made it impossible to move any other part of her body. As Wil writhed and screamed, a hard pinch gripped her under her chest. She froze. This was it.

It wanted to be born.

He waited in silence. It was almost time. When she awoke, he had to fight his natural instincts with EVERY OUNCE of strength to keep from going to her side. She wanted to look away when the chest-burster embarked on the beginnings of its escape. He didn't want to see her in anguish, but it was in his nature to watch, to over-see the safety of this new sister. So he watched. He watched the skin between her breasts tear from neck to naval. He watched as the bones of her chest become protruded with the punching of the infant's dome. He listened to the splitting of flesh and the cracking of bone.

He watched.

He listened.

He could not resist.

Blood gushed from Wil's mouth and seeped out of her chest. With one final blow, Wil's eyes closed and her spirit melted away with the blood.

It slipped from her chest gracelessly. It was splotchy-beige and covered in viscous. It screeched in an almost endearing way, considering the howls that it would produce as an adult. It felt threatened by the large spaces around it and it slinked away, finding a crevice to seek council with the Queen, and eventually molt in.

He stood and walked over to her dead body. He didn't like the emptiness that radiated from her. He reached out and closed her fear-stricken eyes. He sat beside her in a stupor. He felt so lost now. How had he lived before her? How would her live without her? He respectfully gathered her body in his arms and carried her toward the small pool of water. After a minute or two of grief, he slid her body into the water and whined as she drifted down into the stillness.

She would be avenged.

* * *

All around her was the pulse of life. Hundreds of voices whispered and echoed everywhere and nowhere. She was alone in the rocks. The Queen was singing to her. She flew through the minds of the Hive; they sailed through her infant thoughts. The Queen's lullaby told her everything she needed to know about her life, about her purpose. She loved the Queen and she wanted to serve her well. She was different. She was special. The Hive murmured their delights for the newborn. She absorbed their praise, it gave her strength. It gave her connection.

Time didn't matter, they would wait for her. She embraced the dark cavern, the thoughts of her family. She saw the Queen's face in her minds eye. Was that a shiver far inside her core? Why did this feel so strange? It was very hot in the small space. She was sweating, growing. It felt good. It felt right.

It felt _alien_.

Was this why she was special, her ability to slip her consciousness away from the Hive? Silence their voices, push them out; all except the Queen's. She was on her hands and knees. She was so hot, her body was sore from stretching and shifting. She knew what they were, where they had come from. The Queen would allow this fledgling to lead a Cluster to gather the human Hosts on the surface.

_Would Wil be there? _

_ Who was Wil? _

_ Am I Wil? _

_ Wil is dead. _

_ I was Wil but Wil is dead. _

_ I will lead the Cluster._

She emerged from the crevice as silent as death and blacker than shadow. Her kin-Warrior was waiting close by. She knew him. There were mated.

_ He was mated with Wil._

_ He is my mate._

Her body was not that of her Warrior-mate. She knew the types, the distinctions. The gray Drones that cocooned victims and their landscapes. The bronzy Runners that were the fastest, they were best as scouts and hunters. The blue-black Warriors, protectors of the Queen, strongest among the birthed. But she…

She was Praetorian.

Praetorian could evolve into new species as needed in special environments, as dictated by the Queen. Praetorians: as fast as Runners, as strong as Warriors, capable of spitting acid. They were mighty, but rare. Only one in one thousand eggs was Praetorian. The Queen had chosen Wil for this highest honor.

_Who was Wil?_

The Praetorian body was pitch black and slightly more lithe than a Warrior. Her dome was long, but flat like a Queen, but it was smaller, she was the same height as her Warrior brothers.

She screeched at her mate. She tingled deep in her guts. Her long tail swished irritably. He crawled to her and bowed in admiration. She wanted to hold him. Wil wanted…

_ Wil was my Host._

_ Her desires rest with me. _

_Some humans will suffer, some will not live to see the Hive._

The Warrior grinned wickedly. They hissed in agreement. She allowed him to lead the way to the Nest. There they would join the rest of the Cluster and make for the surface.

* * *

There was freedom in this cage of flesh and bone, acid and claws. Speed and strength unrivaled. She zipped ahead of her kin, in and out of holes, across the ceiling. She bowed before the Queen, trembling in fear…respect. She selected another Warrior, as well as three Runners and three Drones. Her mate would be her personal guard. The Queen agreed to this and the Nest seemed to contract with desire. She howled with authority and filled the Nest with promises of new life, as she alone was proof of their near victory. With the Hive's shouts of encouragement, her Warrior led the Cluster to the secret exit close to the human encampment that she…_Wil_ had taken once before.

* * *

Men had seen better days. The fires had been out for a few days, but the repairs had been halted. If anymore resources were taken away from the mission's equipment to fix the ship, the trip would've been for nothing as they would not have the means to extract their treasures.

Failure was not an option.

"How are the beacons?"

"Nominal. It's the dish I'm worried about, Doctor." The mechanic typed on a data-pad, trying to comprehend a readout on a portable communications satellite dish.

"If we can connect the dish with the drop-ship's power source and use the beacons to clear the atmosphere of interfering particles, we can contact my liaison to help us store our merchandise," Dr. Arman sneered at the subordinate who only shrugged.

"If you say so. Has Hardegan's team returned yet?" Arman turned to the mechanic with malice.

"_Hardegan's_ team? ALL TEAMS ARE MY TEAMS! If you need to know about Hardegan, go to the trailer behind _my _tent!" Arman fumed and stomped off. He was still seething with fury. He was so close to his darling Xenomorphs and that red-haired BITCH had nearly taken it all away! Arman would not rest until he had his hands on those beautiful creatures, and with his liaison's help, he would only be nine days late for the next Weyland-Yutani stock party/conference.

* * *

So yeah. Not such a cliffie, but the next chapter is pretty much kicking ass, so I hopes you likes it!

Feedback always welcome! You guys rock!

The Alien sub-species (Praetorian, etc) I took from the PS2 game AvP Extinction.

In a week or so...THE END!!!! *gasp*


	10. Chapter 9

WOW! It has been over a year but I AM BACK! Thank-you to everyone that reviewed, added, alerted, and WAITED PATIENTLY! You are the reason I write! I've just finished reading all the chapters and DAYUM I'm glad I've improved over the course of the story! (I also don't remember there being so much sex...but I could do better now.) Will I write more fanfiction? Probably, but I'm also working on some original stuff so, whether that will make it easier or harder for me to keep up with fics, only time will tell.

I love you awesome people! I am so lucky this story has been as popular as it has been! (Despite the typos, lol!) It's very encouraging!

As I am suffering from some fail and at the moment, undiagnosed illness, I will only be providing a sample of the final chapter. But this little snack is meant to reassure you that I AM GOING TO SATISFY YOU! I just need a bit more time...sorry. ^.^

Rated **M** for violence, language, gore, adult situations, xeno-sex, and general NSFW stuffs.

* * *

Hope it was worth the wait... ;)

Everything was different now, though nothing had changed. It was not new, but it felt strange. More alive. As if everything had a breath, a pulse, could be measured and controlled. Dirt was brighter than dirt, air was dancing all the time, mountains were sentinels bearing silent witness to events beyond time. Space was anything but empty.

She ran with her brothers and hesitated only because the dust storm ahead of them tasted close enough to play party to her attack. She indicated a small canyon to rest in while nature worked in their favor. The Queen wanted bodies, but valued the cunning her newborn had shown. Praetorian sense of direction mixed with the host memories to lay out a plan of attack. She shared her intentions with her brothers and some reeled in restlessness.

Runner wanted blood, now! Brazen, bold, and frightening. Fear and death was a rare taste on this world and it yearned for it so.

Drone wanted all hosts, no death. Quiet and swift, without a trace.

Warrior wanted to wait, to lure hosts into the caves. Recklessness and revenge were not necessary to propagate the Hive.

Praetorian wanted silence.

She hissed darkly and stood. She was on the Queen's errand! She was leading this Cluster! They would submit. They writhed and sneered, she was only just molted, still stinking of her hosts 'meat-womb'. She was unfit.

Her mate lunged forward and swiped his hand across the Warrior's chest, cutting it painfully but not mortally.

It was a warning.

She swayed like a serpent as she listened to their anger and tasted their rebellion. Her mate crouched beside her and his tail intertwined with hers attentively, possessively. She knew what she needed to do to earn their submission. She leaned closer to her guardian, asking for permission, even though that was unorthodox. It was her job to lead and take, but she viewed him as equal, and he relished it quietly.

Perhaps she was still there..?

The Praetorian stood at full height and slapped two of the aliens with her tail. The others hissed defensively.

_We shall fight them!_

_Who will fight?_

_Wil shall tame them._

_I am not Wil._

_I am..._

If they did not find her fit, she would prove her power! She had survived worse. _Wil_ had survived.

The Praetorian swept forward, grabbing the delicate throat of the largest Drone and slamming him to the ground. The other Drones bowed in deference, chastised, but the Runners, hot for blood, leapt toward their sister, their jaws snapping and claws poised for violence.

The Praetorian didn't even allow a moment for her brothers to relish in any sense of brutal pride before digging her feet into the cool earth and ramming her crown into the face of the Runner ring-leader. Her tail reached out and swatted the Runner to her right and her free hand gouged at the last Runner's face, where human eyes would be; each talon left a small hole that wept acid freely. It skittered away in a panic as his howls were absorbed by the rushing of the thunderous storm of sand.

She turned to face her most wrathful of brothers, the Warrior with the wounded chest. As she turned to face him, her mate corralled her now dominated siblings to a place where they could see but not interfere.

She wanted them all to watch, to feel.

She stood tall and stalked toward him, her hips and hands swayed in a peculiar matter, the way a human might move, which served only to make him more rebellious. He stooped to a crouch, muscles taught and ready to battle this fresh one for leadership of the Cluster. He would prove his might for the Queen, prove his worth and become a Consort.

This _princess _would taste her defeat, she was too young for battle!

Just before he was to move to attack her, she stopped and hissed in a tone so sinister and deep, the Warrior's confidence trembled. He felt a prickle of a new kind of fear, something underneath disobedience and pain.

The utterance carried the stench of something weak, the way a conscious host would smell.

She made him feel _vulnerable_.

He cried out in humiliation, determined to smear away this new feeling with her blood. He tackled her and they tumbled, but she easily matched his speed and kept herself out of his grasp, mocking and pushing him. His brothers demurely spoke of his surrender, but he hissed a note of silence which carried suggestions of their cowardice.

He taunted her and kicked dirt in her face, she did nothing but escape his attacks, offering no strength of her own but to tease him, demand his subordination.

Finally, he saw his opportunity and struck, his left foot came up and kicked her back into the rocks. He screamed his victory in the face of the Cluster, going so far as to insult her suitor's weakness in choosing her as a mate.

Her protector stood to defend her honor, but there was no need. The Praetorian growled in a subtle but very displeased pitch. He turned to her just as she rushed out pummeled the back of her fist against his cheek. He stumbled into a wall of stone and she quickly pinned him there. His left hip, the left side of his face as well as his chest, were all flush with the wall. She held his wrists to the stone like a vice and used her pelvis to pin his waist. As she pressed her forehead against his jaw, her tongue slid out to greet him. The hot saliva dripped onto his shoulder and trickled down his back. Her tongue bent upwards and bit sharply at the flesh where his neck joined his chin. He wriggled in disgust. She slammed herself against him with a screech and draped her tail over his thigh. He realized belatedly that his own tail was trapped beneath her stiletto-shaped foot.

The Warrior was about to struggle a second time against this strange display, but froze, a roar of fury hard in his throat, as the Praetorian's tail glided swiftly across his lower abdomen. The other aliens whispered in dread and excitement, the air around them charged and pleading. The Warrior snarled, confused but still defiant, and flashed his own tongue as a threat. The Praetorian almost grinned as the tip of her tail suddenly plunged into the protective slit between his legs.

A moment of stillness stretched between all members of the Cluster. Something like a cough escaped the pinned Warrior's mouth and the Praetorian took the opportunity to sink herself deeper inside of him. He shivered in fear, but didn't dare to do anything else against her. Her tail pushed further until she could feel his limp manhood tucked against her tip. She hissed and rubbed her armored flesh against his softness and the Warrior shrieked in protest, doing his best to buck her off of him. The Praetorian growled jeeringly and yanked his arms back, using her tail and one of her legs to spin him roughly away from the wall. One foot bent his knee and he knelt down, facing his brothers. She pressed her other foot into his back and forced him to the ground, muzzle to the dirt and hind in the air.

The Praetorian made a breathy sound, almost like a chuckle as she pumped her tail in and out of the Warrior, grinding herself along the ridges of his spine for her own need. The Warrior beneath her barred his teeth and continued to struggle in silence. The Praetorian swirled her tip around his flaccid member and he grunted in shock and frustration.

It had felt good.

She screeched and bit down onto the back of his dome, holding him further hostage, and increased the friction between his legs. She would add to his humiliation by forcing physical pleasure upon him. His breathing increased, sending particles of gray dust rippling away from his face.

_You will submit! I am your voice now! _

The Warrior and the Cluster fell in sync, breathing and heartbeat as one. Because she allowed it. His penis hardened slightly and the Praetorian mocked him for it even as she increased the circular motions inside of him. He could no longer resist her, she had taken his strength from him and all recognized her superiority.

With one final slam, several globs of semen sputtered to the dirt and she withdrew her tail and released him without care. She herself hadn't climaxed, he wasn't worthy of that honor, and he slithered toward the others, angry, but obedient to her will. She lowered onto all fours and they bowed beautifully, respect and submission rang through their minds and she acknowledged them for it. She slinkily crawled to them, gently pressing her face to her guardians, signaling that he needn't be so formal as his loyalty was without question. He sighed in longing and a thought passed through him and into her, an impression he was carrying with him from some time before and remembering:

"_I love you."_

There was a feeling connected to that memory, the words meaningless but familiar, however the sentiment struck her like a blow to the stomach, and it was one she shared with him.

_I said this._

_It was Wil who said this to him._

_I feel this._

_It was he who felt this for Wil._

_I was Wil._

_I am...still his._

The Praetorian flicked her hand in a gesture of dismissal and the Cluster moved away to scout ahead. She stood, bringing him with her and their tails danced together.

After such a show of power, she demanded satisfaction, and he desired to give it to her.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together and their breathing was deep and slow. Despite the intense want between, them they were unsure as to how to proceed.

Alien mating was not done, at least not the way he had mated with his human.

When the Queen was in heat at the beginning of a fertile cycle, a large dose of pheromones would saturate the Hive, causing all of the aliens to fall into a state of languid ecstasy. They would all revel in the Queen's need, and while some aliens would crowd together, writhing and groping, the only mating to be had was by the Queen and her selected Consorts. Climbing onto her back, often two at a time, and initiating the first stage of egg fertilization. The second stage of course being hosts.

The process could last weeks as the Queen had some control over how many clutches of eggs would be fertilized and allowed only the most virile seed to pass into her system. If an egg passed through her tunnel unfertilized, the Queen would eat the nutritive jelly inside, becoming even more fertile and strong.

The Guardian rubbed his dome across the Praetorian's face and neck and nuzzled it between her neck and shoulder. She caressed his shoulders and arms, panting softly. There was something she wanted to do, this warmth inside her demanded action, but she lacked the knowledge to sate the flames. She swayed and moved her body against his, there was a rhythm she needed to build and maintain. Some instinct or old memory ghosted through her mind and she slipped her hand between them, pushing her fingers against his slit.

It spread almost immediately on contact, his hard, slick, member slid out and she cupped it in her palm. He trembled and a sharp sigh escaped him, his hands gliding across her thin back awkwardly.

The Praetorian wrapped her six-digit hand around the Guardian's length and pumped unevenly, nipping at her mates clavicle firm enough to leave marks. He hissed and grunted, lowering his own hand passed her delicately feminine hips and under her tail, searching for that sweet spot his human lover had shared with him.

She stilled at the unfamiliar touches, trusting but nervous as his long fingers traced a seam that swelled slightly at his attention. The Guardian pushed a finger inside and she exhaled harshly. Feeling his cool digit rub her pulsing heat seemed so foreign, an invasion of sorts, but something in her mind told her this was acceptable, even desirable. Her insides contracted and she rested the underside of her comb on top of his head, gripping his shoulders and weaving her tail along the prongs on his back.

Her wetness dripped down to his wrist as he shyly prodded her depths with one or sometimes two fingers. He flexed and curled and twisted and her scent was so alluring, so tinny and familiar.

It was _her_ scent, with a hint of what she was now, but still so...human.

The Guardian could hardly contain his enthusiasm as he moved behind her, she was still as he remembered! He placed one hand on her belly, the other across her chest, and his head over her shoulder so they were cheek to cheek. Something like a purr escaped them both as his erection sat flush against her entrance.

The Praetorian slowly rested her hands on top of his as their tails wrapped themselves lightly around limbs and throats and torsos, tying them together.

_We want this._

_I need this._

_They did this..._

She pressed her bottom into him as a sign of her readiness and he complied, swiftly inserting himself into her hot silken channel.

For a moment, it was enough. Joined in the most intimate physical way, her emotions winding with his. He was hers, but why? She had known him from the beginning, before molting, before breathing. He was her mate...but only the Queen had mates, didn't she? She was Praetorian yes, but hadn't selected a mate from among her brothers or the Consorts, he was there and she knew, but how did she know? He had been mated to Wil, her host, and they wished for each other.

_But I am not Wil..._

_...am I?_

Her hips jerked suddenly, forcing him deeper and he panted in wanton surprise. She sucked air through her teeth and tilted her pelvis, showing him she wanted more. He rocked against her slowly and they moved in unison. Her tongue came out and opened wide, his followed suit, and they brushed the searing appendages together as sensuously as they could. The moisture dribbled down their chins and the rocking became more insistent. He grunted and she snarled. It wasn't right somehow, it was everything her instincts said it was supposed to be and it wasn't enough.

_Sit down..._

An impression flitted across her mind and she buckled under it, saving her confusion for later. She used her tail to pull him down until he was on his knees and she in his lap. She started to lift herself away and he tugged her back down onto his ribbed cock, and a jolt of pleasure skewered her cognizance. She shrieked, this was it! This was what her need demanded! The Praetorian peered over to him seductively, lips curling into her version of a smile, just before she lifted and dropped herself into her Guardian's lap again. He screeched in delight and she picked up the pace. They used their tails to hang onto each other as tightly as they could while their hands freely roamed every inch of wet flesh.

A surging fire was coiling itself inside of her and she was gradually becoming less aware of anything but her desire to burn with him, to be consumed by the electric flames that licked the inside of her body.

Another impression flashed through her mind and she complied immediately, swiveling her lithe body so that she was facing her lover, and ground her pelvis against his roughly. His quivering body told her he was almost there, instinct told her to pull him back until he was on top of her. He was surprised but adjusted his pacing quickly. Hard and fast, dust swirling all around them, she raked her claws down the underside of his dome while her feet teased the barbs on his back and trailed along his spine.

It was happening, it was time.

She screamed, arching, face to the darkening sky. He snarled and hissed, head thrown back as the intense waves of orgasm flowed through them, colliding with one another, her climax versus his, crashing and merging tumultuously, sharing each sensation was becoming too much for them. The Cluster and the Hive would feel the ripples and that only excited them more.

At the end of it, his tongue jutted out toward her and she caught it with her own, teeth clamping them together. They retracted in unison until their lips pressed into each others affectionately. She remembered what this was, and she would've cried for his tenderness if she could've.

This was not simply mating, but loving, and she was sadly sure no one among her brothers had ever felt this way before.

Several long moments of moist cuddling passed before the Praetorian realized the storm had cleared, signifying that it was time to move forward.

There was work to be done.


End file.
